Safe Haven
by TragicWriter01
Summary: JJ and Emily are in a tight spot after they are approached by the Wright sisters, Kaelyn and Mackenzie. These two sisters finally come clean to the FBI Agents regarding their situation at home... after keeping it from anyone and everyone for at least ten years. Can these girls get the necessary protection from JJ and Emily? Or will it only be a matter of time?
1. The Wright Sisters

**~ QUANTICO, VIRGINIA (BAU Headquarters) ~**

"So, Henry doesn't have a sitter tonight?" Emily asked, as she, JJ and Penelope were having their usual "girl talk," as it was the end of yet another long and grueling case. JJ gave a sigh and her shoulders dropped.

"Nope, sorry, ladies - go have fun without me," JJ said solemnly, just as Spencer was within earshot.

"I could babysit Henry for you, JJ," he offered.

"Oh, Spence, I couldn't ask you to-"

"You're not asking - I'm offering," he butt in as JJ pursed her lips together. "C'mon, Henry's a good kid - what could go wrong?" She gave a laugh.

"You don't know Henry like I do."

"But, you have said that he pretty much looks up to me, right? I mean, I _am_ his godfather." JJ gave a tentative look to her scrawny friend, and looked back over to her girlfriends, who gave her such pleading looks that she just could _not_ pass up no matter how hard she tried. The blonde took a deep breath, and let out a sigh.

"As last minute as it is, I'd love for you to babysit, Spence," she gave in, as Spencer flashed his sweetest smile. "I owe you one."

"Don't mention it, Jayje - go and have some fun, ladies," he replied nonchalantly, waving the three girls off. JJ smiled as Emily pulled her away, and they were on their way out the door.

"Everything that I had planned for the sitter is on the refrigerator, okay, Spence?" she quickly instructed. "Thanks again!"

"Get outta here already!" Spencer called back jokingly, and smiled as the three ladies left the office, arms linked together.

 **~ That Night (Around 1:00am.) ~**

JJ and Emily had each pulled up to their apartment complex and exited their cars, laughing their heads off. The twist? They weren't even drunk.

"Hah, how fun was that?" JJ let out, going over and linking her arm with her best friend.

"So fun!" Emily exclaimed, letting out a giggle. The two ladies entered the apartment, JJ flicking the lights on as they both set down their purses and sets of keys. JJ flops onto the couch, spent. "Jayje, you know we could've drank at least _a little more_ tonight," Emily joked as JJ raised her eyebrows.

"And risk getting stopped in the middle of the night? No, thank you," JJ shot back as the brunette joined her on the couch and let out a tired but blissful sigh.

"Why can't every night be like tonight?" JJ let out a chuckle.

"Believe me, I wish that pretty much everyday, Em. We only get these kinds of breaks so much."

"That's true." Just as the two ladies were about to shut their eyes for a minute, there's a knock at the door. "Who could still be up at this time?"

"Besides us?" JJ joked, getting up from the couch. She looks in the peephole, and opens the door to see two girls who appear to be sisters. The older sister gave a small smile. "Can I help you girls?"

"Hi, uh... my name's Kaelyn Wright, but you can call me Kallie," she said politely and pointed to her younger sister. "This is my sister Mackenzie, but everybody just calls her Kenzie." Kenzie gave a shy smile and waved, as Emily came over to the door. "We actually wanted to introduce ourselves this-" she caught herself, realizing it was one in the morning. "-I mean, _yesterday_ morning, but it looked like you were out, so... just figured we'd take this chance, I guess. We just moved in next door." JJ gave a tentative look to Emily, then turned her attention back to the two girls.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Kallie and Kenzie. My name's Jennifer, but you can call me JJ."

"I'm Emily, JJ's best friend," Emily added. Kallie raised her eyebrows.

"You two are best friends, and you live together?" she asked incredulously, as the two women looked at each other.

"Yep," they both replied. Kallie gave a chuckle of surprise.

"That's awesome." There was a slight silence between the four girls, until Kallie spoke up again. "Well, we don't wanna take up too much of your time, since it's late, so... it was nice meeting you, JJ and Emily."

"Oh, well, nice meeting you too, girls," Emily said politely. "Have a good night."

"You, too." And with that, Kallie and Kenzie slipped back into their apartment. JJ turned to Emily.

"Did you hear anything about someone moving in?" she asked. Emily shrugged.

"Jayje, with this job, not much gets to us, and you know that."

"Guess you're right, Em..."

Just as the two women were heading to their bedroom, JJ spots a note on the kitchen table - from Spencer.

 _JJ, sorry about the mess. Henry and I tried to make some cookies for when you and Emily got back, but I couldn't keep him away from the dough. You can yell at me tomorrow. Love you. -Spence_

The blonde couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips. _Boys will be boys_ , she thought as she set the note down and followed Emily to the hallway. She peeked into Henry's room to see that he wasn't in bed. Seconds before she could panic, she heard Emily's voice.

"Jayje." JJ turned to Emily to see her peeking into their bedroom. The blonde breathed a sigh of relief as she saw her son, sleeping peacefully. She looked at Emily, as they both quietly sneaked themselves into their bed, successfully keeping from stirring the little one awake.

"Good night, Em."

"Good night, Jayje."


	2. Behind Closed Doors

"I'll be back, Em! Don't wait up!" JJ called out as she exited the apartment, and headed out into the hall, when the door next to them suddenly flew open, and Kallie ran out into the hall. A second later, a cell phone flew out through the open door and into the wall, and finally the door slammed closed as Kallie jumped. JJ gave a look of surprise as her mouth opened slightly. Kallie let out a frustrated sigh, and went to pick up the cell phone, and sighed at the now cracked screen. JJ cautiously inched towards the young girl. "Kallie...? Is everything okay?" Kallie cleared her throat.

"Uh, hey, JJ. Uhm, yeah, e-everything's cool. My uncle's just... heh, hungover and... kinda cranky, I guess..." she let out as she stuffed her phone into her back pocket. JJ eyed the phone carefully. Being a profiler, the blonde noticed Kallie avoiding her eyes, and her expression overall just seemed... lost...

"Looks like your phone's pretty badly cracked," JJ said carefully.

"Uh, yeah, but... I mean, I've been meaning to get a new one anyway, so, no biggie," Kallie replied nonchalantly, seemingly just shrugging it off. _Usually kids her age would freak out over a cracked phone screen. She's taking this too easily..._ JJ thought as the young girl approached her. "You heading out somewhere?"

"Uhh, yeah, I was actually heading out to get breakfast for Emily and I," JJ said as she kept her crystal blue eyes on Kallie. "Would you... wanna come along? You must be hungry."

"Oh, no, JJ, I couldn't ask you to..." Kallie trailed off, and JJ raised her eyebrows. The teen sighed in defeat. "I guess I can grab something for Kenzie to eat."

"That's more like it," JJ said, satisfied. "Besides, I'd like to know more about you and your sister, Kallie, seeing as we only met you both last night. Would that be alright?" Kallie gave a soft smile.

"Yeah, I'd like that, JJ."

And with that, JJ gently wrapped her arm around Kallie's shoulders, and they were out the door.

 **~ In the Car ~**

"So, you live with your uncle?" JJ asked, keeping her eyes on the road ahead of them, but glancing over to Kallie from time to time. The teen gave a nod.

"Uh, yeah. He's actually, uhm..." Kallie cleared her throat before continuing. "... our last living relative," she let out, as JJ glanced over at her, seeing Kallie's head down, her expression sullen.

"Kallie, what do you mean-?"

"We lost our parents in a... car accident... Kenzie was just a baby - it was an absolute miracle that she had made it..." she breathed out, the lump noticeably forming in the young girl's throat.

"I... My God, Kallie, I'm so sorry..." JJ managed, taken completely aback. Kallie gave a slight shrug. "What did you mean when you said... your uncle is your last living relative?"

"Exactly that. My Mom was an only child, and he's my Dad's only brother. He's not married, and our grandparents died before I was even born," the teen explained. JJ let out a sigh of disbelief.

"Kallie... you know that has to be _impossible_ \- you're bound to have at least _one_ living relative aside from your uncle," she insisted. _That can't be possible. If they lose their uncle... God's sake, these are just_ kids _! She just_ has _to-_

"No... no distant cousins, half-brothers or sisters... no one," Kallie choked out, her voice breaking. JJ's heart was torn in two at the teen's broken expression. She reached out one hand to Kallie's as she kept her other on the steering wheel. Within minutes, the car stopped at a local diner. JJ took a deep breath, and got a good look at the teen next to her. Kallie bit her bottom lip, willing herself not to cry in front of a woman she barely knew.

"You said that... Mackenzie was just a baby when your parents died, right?" JJ asked gently. Kallie nodded as she felt the tears freely stream down her face.

JJ turned in her seat, and took the teen's hands in her own as Kallie spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "I was seven."

"And... how old are you both now...?" JJ urged, in her motherly tone.

"... I'm seventeen, and Kenzie is eleven." JJ blinked, taking a second to think.

"So, it's been-"

"Ten years, yeah... Matter of fact, a month from today is... the anniversary of the accident. She and I are gonna go visit our parents, like we do every year."

"Is your uncle going with you?" Kallie let out a bitter laugh.

"No... he never goes to visit them. It's always been just Kenzie and I going to the cemetery by ourselves."

 _Am I hearing correctly right now?_ JJ thought.

"Kallie..." she started as she let out a sigh of disbelief. "You and your sister are _minors_ \- it's _really_ dangerous for you both to be out alone."

"Well, we've somehow managed just fine by ourselves for the last ten years." Kallie shot out, the venom evident in her voice. She let out a frustrated sigh. "You know what? I think I've told you enough," she added, and manually unlocked the car door, letting herself out. JJ let the thoughts flow through already-boggled mind.

 _Is Kallie really telling me that the support for this uncle is just... non-existent? He hasn't supported them in any way whatsoever?_ The blonde let out a sigh. _As much as I hate to do this... I'm gonna have to ask Pen to do some digging... I_ have _to know what these girls have been hiding!_


	3. Part of Our Job

**~ One Week Later ~**

JJ and Emily were together with Henry at the park, walking down the path, and decided to set a blanket on the grass near a tree with plenty of shade.

"Mommy, can I go play soccer?" the little blonde one asked.

"Sure, buddy, just make sure you're where Mommy and Aunt Emmy can see you, okay?"

"Yes, Mommy!" Henry exclaimed and picked up the soccer ball, going off to kick it around. Once her son was out of earshot, JJ flopped back onto the blanket, and gave a sigh.

"Sure is nice today, huh, Jayje?" Emily asked, breathing in the spring air.

"Mm-hmm..." the blonde hummed as she slowly felt herself being sucked into the air, and nodding off. Emily plopped down next to her on the blanket.

"You can't be _this_ relaxed without something on your mind, Jennifer," Emily pointed out, as JJ gave a light laugh. She licked her lips, and pursed them together.

"I asked Penelope to do some digging on... Kallie and... Kenzie," the blonde confessed.

"What?!" Emily exclaimed, sitting back up. "JJ, why would you do that? We just met these girls!"

"I told you what happened when I left for breakfast last week, didn't I?" JJ shot back. Emily paused as she recalled what had happened that morning. "I _refuse_ to believe that these girls only have _one_ living relative left. Em, they're just kids!" the blonde expressed. Emily let out a sigh.

"Jayje, no offense, but... just _why_ are you so fixated on these girls?" JJ let out a wry laugh.

"Em, you of all people should understand why we can't let the Wright sisters be." Emily was still lost. JJ ran a hand through her golden hair, and gave a sigh. "This might just be coincidence, but... Kallie and Kenzie are the same ages as... Ross and I were before..." she trailed off, and then a light bulb went off in Emily's head.

"... Jayje... so you're telling me that... you think these girls remind you of-?"

"Kaelyn is just... practically the _spitting image_ of Rosaline, Emily." JJ gave a laugh as she recalled her late sister's personality. "Stubborn, but knows what she's after. Tries too hard to cover things up, when she _knows_ she's just too easy to read... And she cherishes family... more than anything..." JJ could feel the lump forming in her throat, as she gripped the necklace that Rosaline had given her the afternoon before her suicide. "Now, Mackenzie, I have yet to find out about, but I figure I'll know everything I need to keep these girls safe." Emily gave a sigh. _JJ just_ really _isn't giving up on these girls, is she?_ Before the brunette could say another word, she spotted someone coming up next to Henry.

"Hey, Jayje, isn't that...?" The blonde's head whipped across the field of grass to see...

"Kallie!" she exclaimed as the young girl smiled, and went over to the two women, as JJ and Emily got up from the blanket.

"Hi," Kallie said casually, as Henry was coming over with the soccer ball. He put it down and gently wrapped his arms around JJ's legs. Kallie looked at him, and her smile grew. "What's his name?"

"Henry," JJ replied as she looked down sweetly at her son. Kallie crouched to Henry's level and held her hand out, giving a soft smile.

"Hey, Henry. My name's Kallie," she said sweetly as the little boy took her hand in his.

"Nice to meet you, Kallie," he said quietly.

"You know, you're really good at soccer."

"Thank you."

"My sister loves to play. Maybe she could play with you." Emily furrowed her brow.

"Where _is_ your sister, Kallie?"

"Oh, she's..."

"Kallie!" a voice exclaimed as JJ looked over Kallie's shoulder, and saw Kenzie running over to them. "Oh, hi, JJ and Emily!" she said cheerfully. The two older women looked at each other and back at Kenzie. They had both noticed her change in character compared to when they had first met her a week ago. She was more... upbeat; happy. They both made a mental note to just leave that be for now, and spend this time with the girls.

 **~ One Hour Later ~**

Kenzie was squealing and laughing along with Henry as they kicked the soccer ball around together. Kallie, JJ and Emily were sitting on the blanket on the grass, watching them.

"He's never this happy when he plays with _me_ ," JJ pointed out. Kallie let out a laugh, Emily joining in.

"He's gotta outgrow playing with his Mom someday," the young teen countered. "Besides, when Kenzie plays with me, she gets bored easily."

"Why's that?" Emily inquired.

"Believe it or not, she's pretty quick on her feet for eleven," Kallie replied, looking out over at her sister and Henry. "Look at 'er." The two women looked over at the children kicking the ball around. Being a soccer buff herself, JJ was watching Kenzie especially closely, and was, albeit, amazed at the young girl's footwork. "She just swoops past me when we play together."

"Wow, she _is_ pretty good," the blonde commented.

"Henry isn't a sore loser, is he?" Kallie asked.

"Excuse me?" JJ asked, raising her eyebrows.

"I mean, is he, like... bad about losing?" Kallie clarified, so as not to infuriate the blonde profiler. JJ pursed her lips together, trying to recall the last time Henry had pulled a tantrum over losing a goal.

"Mmm... no, he's never had an attitude about losing, I suppose," she answered, shrugging. "Besides, any attitude from that little bundle would result in a..."

"Time-out?" Kallie guessed. JJ nodded in reply, as the teen shrugged. "I hear ya - I don't tolerate _any_ backtalk from my sister. I've taught her enough discipline to know when and when not to say something."

"Good sister," Emily complimented.

"In fact, I think that this is the first I've seen her smile like that..." Kallie lamented, as the two women furrowed their brows. They looked at each other, then back at the teen as Kenzie and Henry ran over to the three of them.

"Having fun, buddy?" JJ asked her son as Henry gave an excited nod.

"I like playing with Kenzie!" he exclaimed. Kenzie gave a giggle.

"Well, you're pretty good yourself, Henry." JJ and Emily looked on at the three children, smiling softly. The blonde checked her watch for the time, and turned her attention to the two girls.

"Kallie, Kenzie, you guys hungry? We could grab some lunch." The two sisters looked at each other, and Kallie gave a shrug.

"Sure, I wouldn't mind somethin' to eat," she said nonchalantly.

"I'm kinda hungry, too," Kenzie agreed.

"Me, too!" Henry exclaimed, making all four of the women around him laugh out loud.

"Alright, then."

 **~ At Home ~**

The Wright sisters, Emily, JJ and Henry all arrived back at their apartment complex, having being stuffed from lunch. Henry scampered into the house once Emily unlocked the door.

"Get your shoes off, bud!" the brunette called out to the boy. She turned her attention back to JJ and the girls. Kallie gave a sigh, as JJ furrowed her brow.

"Something the matter, Kallie?" The teen gave a shrug.

"It's just that... well, we haven't had this much fun in a while. These last few years... just haven't been the best, is all. What I'm trying to say is... we had fun." She looked down at Kenzie. "Right, Kenz?" Kenzie gave a nod, smiling.

"Yeah! Thanks for today, JJ and Emily!" she exclaimed.

"We could do it another time, if you'd like, girls."

"Can we, really?" the sister exclaimed simultaneously, as JJ let out a laugh.

"Of course! In fact..." The blonde reached into her wallet that had her FBI credentials, took out her card. "... call me anytime, day or night, if anything comes up throughout the week, and we'll see what we can do." Kallie got a good look at her card, and saw the letters "FBI" printed on it.

"You guys are part of the FBI?!" she shouted. JJ and Emily looked at each other, then back at the girls.

"We didn't tell you?" Emily inquired. Kallie let out a laugh.

"Uh... no, you kinda neglected to mention that detail," she said playfully.

"Can we see your badges?!" Kenzie added excitedly, as JJ and Emily laughed.

"Sure," JJ said, as she and Emily flashed their badges for the girls, who were in complete awe.

"That's awesome!"

"Now, we know who to call if we run into a thug on the street or something," Kallie added playfully, nudging her sister. JJ's expression turned serious.

"If that _does_ happen... really, Kallie, don't hesitate to call," she said softly, and put a hand on her shoulder. "Okay?" Emily smiled softly down at Kenzie to prove their point. Kallie smiled at JJ and Emily before giving her response.

"Yeah. Definitely."

"It's part of our job, girls - helping people," Emily emphasized - mainly towards Kallie. The teen got the message, and put her arm around her sister, turning towards their apartment door. She gave one last look at them, before her expression turned solemn.

"Don't worry. I'll have you on speed dial."


	4. When She Cries

**~ Wright Apartment ~**

"Kallie... Kallie, please wake up," a little voice says, stirring the teen awake. Kallie flutters her eyes open to see Kenzie, standing over her. She groggily sits up in bed.

"Morning, squirt," she groaned, initiating her occasional nickname for her younger sister. She rubbed the sand out of her eyes, and glanced over at the calendar to see today's date, circled. She inwardly sighed. "Today's the day, huh?"

"Yep," Kenzie replied softly, reaching over to take Kallie's hand. "Don't wanna keep Mom and Daddy waiting, right?" Kallie gave a sigh as she inched out of bed.

"No, we do not."

Today's date was the ten-year anniversary of their parents' deaths.

The girls went out into the hallway of their apartment, to find their uncle, Nathan, sitting at the kitchen table, reading the paper. There was an eerie silence throughout the house, the only sounds being heard were the girls' footsteps shuffling across the floor, and Nathan turning the pages of the newspaper. Kallie cleared her throat, as she got some orange juice from the refrigerator, and Kenzie went over to sit down at the table, across from Nathan.

"Where were you two a few days ago?" their uncle asked gruffly.

"Didn't think you'd notice we were gone," Kallie said monotonously, passing Kenzie her glass of orange juice, and preparing their breakfast for two.

"So, what, you two just decide to sneak out?" Nathan inquired, setting the paper down.

"No," Kallie insisted, turning the fire on the stove on. "We're practically non-existent in your drunken eyes, so why would you care if we're gone?" Suddenly, Nathan sprang up from his seat, Kallie having not yet placed the pan on the stove, and gripped her wrist, inching it towards the already-lit fire. Kenzie tensed up in her seat. Kallie groaned at the pressure on her wrist. His grip was just too tight! _He may as well split my hand from my wrist!_ Kallie thought, as she could slowly feel the circulation leaving her body.

"You say that again," Nathan growled as he inched her hand closer to the fire.

"Why don't you make me?" Kallie shot back, gritting her teeth, and taking in a sharp breath. He took that as a challenge, and gripped her hand closer to the fire... closer... closer... "Kenzie, don't look!" the teen shouted, as her fingertips were being emerged into the fire, and her sister complied, quickly turning her head away from the scene in front of her. Kallie bit back a scream, knowing very well that a certain pair of FBI agents were just right next door. It took her last bit of strength that she could muster up to backhand Nathan to the face with her free hand. Surprisingly, it was hard enough to send Nathan a few steps back, taking his grip on her wrist away. The teen breathed heavily, rushing to the sink to soak off the heat that was aching its way into her hand with cold water. Kenzie sprang up from her chair, going over to her injured older sister.

"Are you okay, Kallie?"

"I'm fine, sissy," Kallie breathed out, wincing slightly. Kenzie got a good look at her sister's hand, the burns looking as if they were slowly setting in.

"You need a doctor!"

"No!" Kallie said sternly, staring Kenzie right in the eye. "This is nothing, Kenz. I'm _fine_ , you hear me?" Kenzie stared back at Kallie, not uttering a single syllable. "J-Just... go get ready, alright?" She looked back over to her uncle, who held his cheek, and just up and walked back into the hallway. "We're already behind schedule."

 **~ Meanwhile, with JJ & Emily ~ **

_"Kaelyn was right, Jayje - she and her sister have no living relatives_ anywhere _,"_ Penelope stated as JJ and Emily were in the kitchen, having their breakfast. The two women on the other line let out a collective sigh. _"Hey, I wouldn't have spent the last week digging into these girls' lives - which I feel really icky about, by the way - unless I knew the trail would just... go cold on me."_ To say the quirky technical analyst was disappointed was the understatement of the century. For someone of her expertise to just come up blank on any existent relatives to two girls was practically unheard of.

"Can you at least find something on the uncle? See if he has a history? Of _anything_?"

"C'mon, Pen, give us _something_ here," Emily begged.

 _"Need a name, ladies."_ Emily snapped her fingers together, trying to recall the name of the girls' uncle.

"Uhm... Nathan! Nathan Wright."

"Kallie said he was her father's only sibling," JJ pointed out. They hear the sounds of typing on the other line.

 _"Uhh... okay! Nathan Thomas Wright, 34 years old, single, and he is, indeed, the last living relative of Kaelyn and Mackenzie, but... whoa, wait a second."_

"What?"

 _"Okay, I'm getting an_ insanely _huge amount of cash all spent on-"_ Penelope let out a disgusted groan.

"What, Pen?! Spit it out!"

 _"Alchohol,"_ Penelope let out. Emily and JJ looked at each other. _"And cigarettes. This guy, ironically, practically_ lives _off this stuff. And where does he get that money, you may ask?"_

"Gambling?" Emily guessed.

 _"Correct, E. He's had... whew, more gambling debts than Boy Wonder can count."_

"And, how does he pay _those_ off?" JJ questioned, feeling like this guy was just going around in circles with his money.

"You got a _job_ on this guy, at least?" Emily pressed.

 _"Ehm... yep, he works as... heh, how typical - bartender. But, surprisingly, pay's pretty good, 'cause it's... oh, wow, it's that bar that just recently opened, and is just_ super _popular at the moment."_

"The Sleazy?" (A/N: Random name) JJ guessed.

 _"Yep, that's the one. Address is being sent to your phones. Good luck, ladies."_

 **~ Back with Kallie & Kenzie (The Cemetery) ~**

The sisters were inching their way towards their parents' gravestones, Kallie carrying a bouquet of roses. Kenzie crouched down to gently trace her fingers across the letters on her mother's gravestone.

 _ **LISA WRIGHT (1970-2001)**_

 _ **LOVING MOTHER**_

 _ **WIFE**_

 _ **AND DAUGHTER**_

Kallie crouched down to her father's gravestone, to gently place the roses on the grass in front of it. His gravestone read:

 _ **JAMES WRIGHT (1969-2001)**_

 _ **STRONG FATHER**_

 _ **HUSBAND**_

 _ **AND SON**_

As the two sisters sat across from their parents' gravestones, Kallie took Kenzie's hand, with the hand that _wasn't_ burnt.

"You wanna say anything, sissy?" she offered softly.

"Mm... Well... Mom, Daddy, we miss you. Everyday. We think about you both everyday. Especially me." Kenzie could feel the lump forming in her throat. Being the daughter that lost her parents at only a _year_ old, it's no wonder she'd get choked up. Kallie strengthened her grip on her sister's hand.

"It's okay to cry, Mackenzie - I'm here," the teen choked out, fighting back her own tears. Kenzie let out a shaky breath.

"Kallie tells me all the things you would tell her to do. Pray before eating, and even before bed. We go to church every Sunday, and I sometimes stay behind to pray a little more. I just like to pray for Kallie and myself, mostly. Since... well, we don't have any other family." She took in a shaky breath, and let out a sob. "I hate that I never got to hear your guys' voices. I hate that I didn't get to live those seven years with Kallie, getting to spend time with you." Kallie furrowed her brow at her sister's words. "I'm not saying I'm jealous of you, Kallie, I just... I wish I would have spent at least a year or two with my _entire_ family. You, Mom, and Daddy. Not for it to be how it is now." Kenzie let her tears freely fall, and sobbed out. "Uncle Nate's been hurting Kallie."

"Kenzie, don't-!"

"Face it, Kallie! Whether they can hear us or not, I _know_ that they can see what he's been doing to you! You need to just...! Stop hiding your pain, and just come out with it!" Kenzie shouted at her sister. "You don't have to be strong and say you're fine for my sake." _Heh. Damn, this kid's smart,_ Kallie thought to herself. "If you're hurting, _tell me_. Don't keep everything bottled up. _You_ tell _me_ that's it's okay to cry, but I, at times, never see you shed a tear when Uncle Nate hurts you! If it hurts, _let it hurt_!" Kenzie was practically screaming by now, as she let her frustration toward her sister. "Why do you have to so _stubborn_?"

"..." Kallie was just... _flabbergasted_ at her younger sister's words. She felt the tears stream down her cheeks, and let out a slight laugh. "I get it, sissy. I just... want to protect you. Y-You have to understand that... you're basically _all I have left_. I try not to show fear around Uncle Nate, because... he just gets angry when I'm upset, I don't know why. He mostly takes all his anger out on _me._ As long as he doesn't lay a _finger_ on you, then I wouldn't care if he broke me. I know you want me to understand that I don't have to be strong, but I want _you_ to understand - _please, understand_ \- that I've been staying strong these last ten years _for you,_ " Kallie let out, and it was just about her turn to scream, but she bit it back, and just sobbed into the grass. The two girls both embraced each other, crying in each others' arms, hoping that their parents - or _anyone_ \- would hear their cries.


	5. Nathan Wright

**~ At The Sleazy ~**

JJ and Emily entered the club, and JJ's phone vibrated. She looked at the screen to see the name: AARON HOTCHNER. She gave a sigh, and answered the call, signaling Emily to go on without her.

"Hotch?"

 _"JJ, Garcia just filled me in - is everything okay?"_ Before JJ could answer, Hotch gave her a stern reminder. _"You do know that this_ doesn't _count as a federal case, right? Neither of you even know these girls."_

"Look, Hotch, I know Emily and I are overstepping some major federal boundaries here, but... you of all people should understand why we're doing this." She let out a sigh, as Hotch stayed on the line. "We're trying to figure out everything what we can about them, because... these girls live right next door to us, Hotch. If something's up, it's not like I can just ignore it - you know that!"

 _"JJ, I..."_

"Look, Hotch, case or no case, I'm not stopping until I figure out what's going on." The blonde waited for an expectant reply from her superior. When none came, she continued on. "You've said so yourself that I'm one of our strongest profilers, and my gut is almost always right, as is Emily's. I can't just let this go." There was a slight pause on the other line. "Besides, I already gave Kaelyn my card, so if she decides to call me... there's not much I can do from there," she added playfully, before Hotch gave a sigh.

 _"Alright, JJ. Carry on, but be careful. If there's anything,_ anything _, the rest of the team can do..."_ JJ gave a sigh of relief.

"Thanks, Hotch - we'll let you know." As she hung up and turned her attention back towards Emily, the brunette waved her over. JJ put her phone back in her pocket and made her way over to Emily. "What have we got?" The brunette shook her head in response.

"Turns out Nathan doesn't have a shift tonight, but he does tomorrow night."

"We don't have until tomorrow night, Em," JJ sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"Well, Jayje, what do you want me to do? All we have to go on this guy is his spending. So far, we have no legal evidence that this guy has anything on Kallie and Kenzie, much less a general criminal record!" JJ gave her friend a look that said "Really?"

"Have you forgotten who Penelope is, Em?" she asked monotonously, followed by a laugh. Emily chuckled at that. "She'll find some more dirt on this guy, just be patient." she ushered as Emily gave a sigh and nodded. "In the meantime, since he's not at his workplace, we may as well just head back to the complex; see if he's home." The two of them exited the bar, club, Emily trailing behind.

"Y'know, we could've just done that in the first place - save us some gas," the brunette joked as JJ turned back to her with a death glare. Emily put up her hands defensively. "I'm kidding, Jayje!" she laughed.

 **~ Back at the Complex ~**

The two agents walked into the hall, and JJ gently rapped on the Wright's door.

"Nathan Wright! FBI!"

No answer. As they pull their guns out of their holsters, they hear two familiar voices.

"JJ?"

"Emily?"

The two agents turned to see Kallie and Kenzie, entering the complex, hand in hand. JJ and Emily let out a collective sigh of relief, placing their guns back into their holsters.

"Girls."

"Is your uncle home?" Emily asked.

"Probably not, but I have the key," Kallie answered, holding up the key to their apartment.

"We just came back from the cemetery," Kenzie added solemnly. The two women looked at each other, before sadly looking back at the two young girls.

"Anniversary, right?" JJ guessed. Kallie and Kenzie nodded. Emily gently nudged the blonde profiler's arm. "Uh, girls, do you mind if we come in with you?" Kallie's brow furrowed. "We'd like to ask you a few questions." The teen looked down at her sister, as Kenzie gave an unsure shrug.

"Sure..." Kallie complied cautiously, going over to the door to let them in. JJ and Emily braced themselves for the sight they were about to see in that house, expecting it to be gruesome, but once they were inside, it was spotless. No sign of any alcohol bottles, or cigarette boxes. So far, the place was void of any evidence of need for a search warrant. JJ gave a sigh.

"Don't give up, hope, Jayje," the brunette whispered. "Like you said, Garcia's bound to find something else." The blonde gave a nod as the four young women sat in the living room.

"Do you guys want anything to drink?" Kallie asked softly, remembering her manners.

"Oh, no, we're fine, sweetheart," JJ said, waving it off. "Thanks for asking." Just as Emily was about to open her mouth to speak, the brunette's phone rings.

"Oh, excuse me, girls," she said softly, going back out into the hall of the complex, answering her phone. "Hey, Garcia. What else you got?"

 _"Good news, bad news, E. Which do you want first?"_ Penelope chirped on the other line. Emily took a breath.

"Bad news."

 _"Alright, you asked. I dug a little deeper into this guy, and... well, it turns out that... he was convicted of..._ rape. _The year that his brother and sister-in-law passed away."_

"Well, then, what's the good news?" Emily sighed.

 _"That I actually managed to find something...?"_ Penelope said hopefully, knowing full well that her brunette friend wasn't liking where this was going. She could practically feel her frustration. _"Em, I'm sorry, but it gets worse."_ Emily let out a groan.

"What could possibly be worse than rape, Pen?" There's a pause on the line, before the quirky tech analyst spoke up.

 _"The name of the victim."_

"The name of the-"

 _"Emily... it was Kaelyn,"_ Penelope confessed softly. Emily nearly dropped her phone at the name of the girl that was in the same room with her best friend. _"Em? You there?"_ Emily just about felt sick to her stomach.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," she groaned, and held her hand to her lips. She let out a sigh. "Garcia... you're _positive_ that... that it was Kallie...?"

 _"Would I lie to any of you, Em?"_ Penelope shot back. It was then that everything she thought she knew about these girls was yet to be discovered. _"I knew I had to tell you first, though, because I knew JJ would freak out."_

"Garcia, how is it that I'm finding out about this _now_?" Emily insisted.

 _"That's the thing, Em. This... this was never reported."_

"You're not serious." The long pause on the line indicated that Penelope was beyond serious. "I'll ask how you found out about it then later," she sighed.

 _"I'm so sorry, Em."_

"Don't be sorry. You've given us exactly what we need to put this guy away." She looked back into the living room of the Wright's apartment. "I'll let JJ know."

 _"Give her my love."_

"Of course. Thanks for everything, Pen." She hung up and took a deep breath, slowly processing what she had just heard. _My God... this was ten years ago, so... Oh, Lord, poor Kallie was... only_ seven _..._ The brunette profiler could feel the lump forming in her throat. _JJ is_ not _going to like this... Then again, all the more reason that we_ need _to get some answers._


	6. The Truth

"Okay, no offense, JJ, because I know you guys are just trying to do your job, but... does it really include giving us an interrogation?" Kallie had asked incredulously.

"Kallie, please believe me when I say that _neither_ of you are suspected of anything." The girls began to relax. "But... your uncle is." The sisters looked at each other, then back at the blonde profiler.

"Uncle Nate?" Kenzie questioned as JJ nodded. She was about to say something else before Emily put a hand on her shoulder.

"JJ, a word?" the brunette asked, nodding her head towards the hallway.

"Uhh, sure." JJ stood up from the couch. "I'll be back, okay?"

"Okay," the girls said softly, as Emily brought JJ out into the hall. Kallie leaned in to whisper to her sister.

"You want me to come clean, sissy, right?" she asked seriously. Kenzie slowly nodded.

"I don't like it when you're hurting alone," she said solemnly. Her sister took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

"Okay, then, that settles it," Kallie declared. "I'll tell them. _Everything._ "

She gently caressed Kenzie's cheek, and took her hands in her own. "We'll be okay, squirt. I promise," she croaked, tightening her grip. "Sisters together..."

"Always and forever," Kenzie finished as her sister kissed her forehead, and pulled her into a warm embrace. As she nuzzled Kallie's neck, Kenzie peeked over her sister's shoulder to see JJ and Emily embracing as well, but as they pulled away, JJ's shoulders were shaking. "Kallie."

"What is it, hon?"

"JJ's crying." Kallie's brow furrowed.

"What?" The two young girls pulled away from each other to see that JJ was very much upset and crying. Kallie saw Emily's lips moving, but couldn't make out what she was saying. The sisters looked at each other worriedly, then back at JJ and Emily, who were making their way back inside, Emily closing the door behind them. JJ gently wiped her eyes, sitting back on the couch. "JJ, are you okay?"

"Yes, Kallie, I'm fine," the blonde sniffled. She nodded up towards Emily. The older brunette smiled softly at Kenzie.

"Kenzie, can you show me what your room looks like?" she asked gently. Kenzie gave a confused look, but reluctantly got up from the couch.

"Sure..." Emily smiled as she followed the young girl to her bedroom. "It's a little messy, though - nothing special."

"Oh, I don't mind," Emily replied, waving it off. Once they were both out of earshot, leaving JJ alone with Kallie, the blonde profiler leaned in to gently speak to the teen.

"Okay, Kallie. I'm gonna level with you on this, alright?"

"Thought you said that this wasn't an interrogation," the teen mumbled.

"It's not."

"Then, what's bad enough to make Kenzie leave the room with Emily?" she shot back. JJ took a deep breath. _This is_ not _gonna be easy. She certainly has the attitude that Ross had. It's fine, Jayje. You've done this kind of thing before. Just... treat it like normal. Remember, this is for_ their _sake._ The blonde wrung her hands together, pursing her lips, trying to process the right questions to ask Kallie.

"Kallie... after your parents' accident, when did you and your sister... go into your uncle's care...?" Kallie gave a long sigh, but decided to go along with JJ's questions.

"Uhm... the day of the funeral, which was, like... mmm, a month later, I think?" the teen speculated. JJ gave a sigh. _Of course her mind is hazy. This_ was _ten years ago, after all, and the girl was_ molested _, for God's sake! It's not wonder she can't remember much of it._

"Okay, and... you mentioned before that your uncle was your Dad's only brother, right?" Kallie gave a nod. "It must have been hard for him to lose his only brother." Kallie scoffed, as JJ furrowed her brow. "Did he... spiral out of control? Start drinking, anything like that?" The teen could feel her throat getting dry, so she gently clears it.

"Well... he, uh..." She couldn't get the words out. She tried to recall what had happened all those years ago, but at the same time, she just didn't want to. She didn't want to have to relive all those years. Not again. But she tried her best. She spoke barely above a whisper. "He would, at times, get drunk. He would yell. A lot."

"No one would hear?" Callie gave a bitter laugh.

"Oh, no, I'm sure people would hear. They just would never hear..." Her voice cracked. "My crying..." She could feel the lump forming in her throat and let out a sob. JJ willed herself to be strong for the broken teen who was practically losing herself in front of her. But, how could she? She reminded her so much of Rosaline! It was like seeing Ross breaking in front of her baby sister.

The blonde pursed her lips together, and took her hands in Kallie's.

"Kallie." The teen looked right into those crystal blue eyes, that were boring into her deep brown ones. "He's _not_ here, sweetie. Your uncle's not here. You can tell me." The tears were streaming down Kallie's face, and JJ's grip on her hands kept getting tighter the longer that she stared at this poor girl's broken state. No words escaped Kallie's lips. She just couldn't bring herself to say it. So JJ cleared the air for her. "Kallie... did your uncle..." JJ felt her heart break in two as she uttered the rest of her sentence. "Did your uncle rape you?"

It was then that Kallie's breathing began to quicken as she _clearly_ remembered _everything_ from the day of her violation. Everything from the minute that he walked into her bedroom, to the moment that she just lay on her bed, completely still from the shock and overall violation of her seven-year-old innocence.

JJ placed a hand gently on the teen's shoulder and... Kallie _broke._

The teen collapsed in JJ's arms, sobbing all her frustrations away. Frustration from hiding all of this for the last ten year. Frustration from having to live with that _monster_. Frustration from _everyone_ and _everything_ at that moment.

"It-it hurt _so much_!" the teen sobbed. "Everything, JJ! My legs... my arms, my wrists, my neck, _every Goddamn thing!_ I couldn't take it, I just couldn't!"

JJ could feel her own tears gently streaming down her cheeks, as she whispered sweet nothings into the teens ear.

"Shh, shh, ohh, Kallie, baby, it's alright," she soothed as she could feel her own voice breaking. "I've got you, honey, I've got you, shh, shh... He can't hurt you, he _won't_ hurt you anymore." JJ felt her heart break piece by piece with each comforting word that left her lips. "I _swear to you_ , Kaelyn... we will do _everything in our power_ to put your uncle away for good. You won't ever have to see him again." Kallie's sobs just got harder. "You poor thing... I've got you, Kaelyn. Everything's gonna be alright." She gently kissed the teens hair, and caressed her tear-stained cheeks as the two gently pulled away.

JJ mentally reminded herself that once all this is over, they are _immediately_ getting Kallie into a hospital for a full body examination. The whole nine yards - everything from a general physical exam, to the dreaded rape kit. She would also need to mention to Emily what their next step would be for these girls as to family. But, at this point, the blonde profiler had already considered these girls her own, even from what little they knew.

Kaelyn and Mackenzie were their family. And Jennifer Jareau _doesn't give up on family._


	7. Decisions, Decisions

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

Kallie's alarm on her phone had gone off, and she was about to grab it off of the nightstand when she felt a soft hand gently collide with hers. She stirred awake, groaning the sleep out of her system to see JJ hovering over her, snoozing her alarm.

"... JJ?" she moaned sleepily. From her half-lidded brown eyes, she could peek at JJ smiling softly, reaching over to take her hand.

"Good morning, Kallie," she said softly, gently caressing her cheek. The teen sat up in bed, rubbed the sand out of her eyes, and looked around to see that she wasn't in her room.

"Are we... Are we in your apartment?"

"Yes. Emily and I kind of... well, some of our guys kept watch to see if your uncle would burst through your apartment door, drunk and angry, but... turns out he hasn't shown up the last few nights, so we just... brought you here to stay in the meantime, because there was _no way_ I was letting you both sleep in that apartment alone."

"Where are Emily and Kenz?"

"Oh, they're..." Suddenly, there was a crash.

"Kenzie, be careful!" Emily's voice rang out.

"Sorry!" Mackenzie shouted. JJ and Kallie both let out a soft laugh.

"...In the kitchen. Probably making breakfast," the blonde concluded.

"Something tells me it's not going very well," Kallie added with a chuckle as she stretched out of bed.

"Tell you what - you splash some cold water on your face, wake yourself up, freshen up, and we'll give those two a hand," she instructed gently and winked. "How's that sound?" Kallie gave a soft smile.

"Sounds good."

"Perfect." JJ stood up from her bedside and gently kissed her temple, making her way out into the hall before Kallie stopped her.

"Hey, JJ." JJ turned back, still in the doorway. Kallie gave a look like she was begging for something. The blonde got the picture.

"Emily and I are gonna tell you both all about it after breakfast, okay?" Kallie gave a sigh as her shoulders dropped, but she got the message.

"Okay."

~ 30 Minutes Later ~

The four girls had all finished preparing their morning meal together, and Kallie pulled out a chair for her sister, as they sat next to each other. Emily and JJ sat across from the two girls, smiling softly as they took each other's hands.

"We always pray before eating," Kenzie said softly, as Kallie nodded. The teen reached out for JJ's hand, and Kenzie reached out for Emily's. Their hands all connected, their eyes shut as Kallie said a prayer.

"Heavenly Father, thank you for this day. Thank you for this... this opportunity that you've given my sister and I to really... _connect_ with these two amazing women, JJ and Emily. Thank for allowing them to save us and help us in any way they can." JJ opened her eyes slightly, as Kallie continued on. "We don't know where we would be without them in our lives, dear Lord, so thank you for bringing them into our lives." The blonde could feel herself choking up. "Thank you for this food, bless it to our bodies, and may it give us all the energy we need for rest of the day. We love you, Lord. Amen."

"Amen."

As they all ate breakfast in slight silence, Kenzie spoke up.

"This is really good, JJ."

"Thank you, Kenzie. That's very sweet of you."

"How come you didn't help much, Emily?" Kallie chimed.

"Cooking isn't exactly my forte," the brunette replied, shrugging.

"Have you tried baking?" the teen suggested. Emily gave a suggestive look over to JJ.

"No, I haven't, but I've thought about it." Kenzie smiled up at her Kallie, as the teen gave a knowing look.

"My sister makes the _best_ snickerdoodles."

"Really, now?" JJ said, albeit, surprised. Kallie gave a nonchalant shrug, but blushed, letting the pink tint her cheeks.

"Yeah, I... I taught myself a few years ago, and have loved it ever since. It's a lot of fun, and _really_ pays off since... well, I've the _biggest_ sweet tooth." Both women across from her laughed.

"Well, maybe it's about time I made some sweets," Emily chimed, and turned to JJ. "Maybe for the team?"

"I think they'd love that," JJ said, giving a smile.

"Speaking of, when do we get to meet this team of yours?" Kallie asked, leaning over. The two women across from the teen looked at each other, as JJ gave a sigh.

"Which brings us back to your uncle's situation." Kallie furrowed her brow. "You'll be able to meet the rest of our team, but what's gonna happen is... Emily and I already debriefed our supervisor about this whole situation, so he and the team are gonna find your uncle, bring him in for questioning, and _if_ he confesses to... well, this abuse - which is _not_ gonna be easy, we might even have to set up a lie detector, or polygraph - we can take it trial; see what the judge says." JJ stared into Kallie's eyes. "But... Kallie... in order for him to be proven guilty, you..."

"I have to testify... right?" Kenzie's head whipped over to her sister.

"Testify? What does that mean?"

"It means she has to tell the court, particularly the judge, _everything_ that your uncle did to her," Emily explained.

"Will Kenzie have to? I mean... she's a witness, isn't she? She's seen what he's done to me."

"Would you _want_ her to testify?" Emily prompted. "The decision is yours, Kaelyn, but... I don't think it's a good idea to expose your sister to that kind of thing..." JJ cut her off.

"I-I'm sorry, Em, can I just... pull you away for a second?" the blonde asked quietly. Emily complied and they stood up out of their seats, leaving the two girls. "You girls mind clearing the table?"

"Sure."

Once the girls were out of earshot, Emily leaned on the stovetop casually.

"Something the matter, Jayje?"

"We have to have Kenzie testify alongside her sister, Em."

"Are you out of your mind?!"

"Listen, I get that you wanna protect Mackenzie's psyche from reliving all that abuse, but she's smart enough to know what their uncle is doing to her older sister. Em, if she doesn't come forward with what she saw him do to her, then there. Is. No. Trial." The blonde emphasized that possibility as Emily stared her friend in the eye. "And then, these poor girls will end up in foster care, and possibly separated from each other. Tell me, Emily, is that what you want for these girls?" Emily bit her lip. "Because I sure as hell don't."

 _God, JJ, I know you're right, but... Kenzie is just... too damn young to be expressing things like this! I know you mean well, but..._


	8. Catching the Monster

_"So, you're leavin' us hangin', JJ? Seriously?"_ Derek expressed to his blonde partner.

"Well, Derek, Emily's on her way over there, but I can't just leave these girls alone," JJ said as she held her phone between her shoulder and ear multitasking, going around the kitchen, making a cup of coffee for herself, and green tea for Kallie. The teen was scrolling through her phone, and Kenzie was watching TV in the living room. "You guys can handle one case without me. You're all big boys, aren't you?" the blonde teased. As JJ winked, passing the green tea over to Kallie, the teen stifled a laugh.

 _"Yeah, real funny, JJ."_

"Look, Morgan, just keep me posted and be careful out there, alright? I gotta go. Send my love to everyone."

 _"You got it."_

"Bye." Just as she was about to hang up...

 _"JJ, wait!"_

"Yeah?" A pause.

 _"Tell those girls that we'll find their bastard of an uncle."_ JJ smiled through the line. _"Tell them not to worry."_

"Yeah... I'll tell them."

 _"Bye."_

"Bye."

The two hung up, and Kallie furrowed her brow.

"So, one of your teammates is a guy named Derek Morgan, huh?"

"Yeah," JJ said, giving a nod as she had her coffee in hand and sat across from the teen at the kitchen table. "I think you're really gonna like him. He's a lot of fun once you get to know him. And... who knows? Once this is all over and done with, he may feel like the coolest uncle ever," she said with a wink as Kallie chuckled. JJ's azure eyes softened as she reached over to graze her fingers on Kallie's. The blonde's voice was quiet, so as not to let the younger girl in the living room hear. "Kallie... have you been comfortable around men since... your uncle...?" Kallie fidgeted with her hands slightly, and sat back in her chair, as JJ listened intently.

"Honestly?" JJ nodded, and the teen gave a chuckle. "It's been ten years, and there are times that I sometimes forget about it... but the truth is, I know that unless I do something about it - maybe... see a shrink or something - then this is gonna haunt me my entire life, and..." She gently looked over at Kenzie. "I don't want Kenzie to grow up knowing that I had harbored this _horrible_ secret, I just... don't." She turned her attention back to JJ, but didn't meet her eyes, and bit down on her lip. The blonde could tell she was emotional. "I still have nightmares," she chuckled. "And... every time I open my eyes and just... shoot up in bed, in a cold sweat, I always..." Her voice broke. "... I always think that he's gonna be _right there_ in my bedroom doorway." A tear threatened its way out of her eye, and she quickly wiped it away. "I-I just... I-I-I sometimes feel like... like I'm going _crazy_ , and... it just..." Kallie was at a loss for words, feeling like she could just lose herself right then and there. She let out a shaky breath. "So, to answer your question, JJ, _no_ , I'm not... comfortable around men. I mean, the guys on your team can talk to me, just... at a distance, they can't... come near me, or... touch me," she ordered, as JJ nodded. "The only people I trust to do that right now are you, my sister, and Emily." JJ smiled softly, and took Kallie's hands in her own, gently kissing her knuckle. The teen felt her shoulders relax.

"That's completely fine, sweetheart. Nothing to be ashamed of. Emily and I will keep our guys in check, so... you'll be fine. I promise."

"Thanks," Kallie sniffled, smiling softly as JJ chuckled. The blonde leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on Kallie's forehead.

Kenzie got up from the couch and made her way over to the kitchen table with JJ and her sister.

"JJ, can I have a snack?"

"Sure, sweetie. What would you like?"

"Well, what do you have?" JJ went over to the cabinet, and sifted through the snacks.

"Mm, let's see here. We got chips, popcorn, wafers, cookies..." She trailed off before she had an idea. She turned back to the two girls at the table. "I have an idea." The sisters looked at each other then back at the blonde.

"What is it?" Kallie inquired. JJ smirked slightly, leaning over the countertop.

"How about the three of us bake something for when Emily comes back?" she suggested, and the girls grinned. "Maybe your famous snickerdoodle recipe, Kallie? What do you say?"

"Sure!" Kallie laughed.

"Sounds like fun!" JJ clapped her hands together.

"Alright, then! Wash your hands, girls, and let's get started!"

"Awesome!"

 **~ Meanwhile, with Emily ~**

Morgan, Emily and Reid exited the SUV parked outside The Sleazy and made their way towards the bar.

"Let's hope our luck changes today and this bastard is actually in," Derek said gruffly.

"Remind me again why Hotch didn't go public with this," Spencer jumped in, opening the door to the bar, letting his teammates in.

"Because it's not a federal case," Emily explained. "But he gave JJ and I permission and gave us _all_ the order not to touch any other cases till we catch this guy and figure out what to do with the girls."

"These girls must mean a lot to you both, then, huh, Emily?" Spencer asked.

"It's not just about these sisters, Reid. I..." she caught herself. " _We_ care about JJ, and you know how she's always said that you do _whatever it takes_ to protect your family," she stated as Reid stared into her dark brown eyes. "Well, JJ treats these girls as if they were her own, despite it being such a short time, and, honestly, I don't blame her. Reid, she cares about these girls mainly because she sees the memory of herself and her late older sister, Rosaline." She bit down on her lip, feeling the emotion set in. "Losing one of those girls would be like, either reliving the tragedy of losing her sister... or losing herself altogether." Spencer could feel himself choking up at the memory of JJ telling the story of her sister's suicide. Just the fact that Emily was doing so much for JJ spoke volumes. They really did care for each other. "I can't let this case result in me coming home to a woman that I won't be able to recognize," Emily lamented. "So, we're not just doing this for the girls. We're doing it for JJ." Spencer gave a soft smile.

"That's good enough for me." Emily smiled, and patted her friend's shoulder, and the three of them went over to the front of the bar. There was a man cleaning up some shot glasses. He had smooth, short, jet black hair and was wearing a muscle shirt. Emily came up to him and flashed her badge, Derek and Spencer doing the same.

"Agent Emily Prentiss, I came here about two weeks ago, looking for a man by the name of Nathan Thomas Wright." The man looked Emily in the eye.

"You're talkin' to 'im." Emily looked back at Derek and Spencer. Derek gave a nod, turned his back and dialed JJ.

"Mr. Wright, would you mind coming down to the station with us? We'd like to ask you a few questions."

"I don't remember hearing anything on the news that said the FBI had authority to just barge into my bar without any federal cause, lady," he instigated.

"It's regarding your daughters, Mr. Wright." Emily could _feel_ the man's nervousness building up as he slightly avoided eye contact with her. "Kaelyn and Mackenzie." He bit into his jaw. "If you'd please follow me."

 **~ Back with JJ ~**

Music was blaring throughout the house, as the snickerdoodles were baking in the oven. Henry (woken up from his nap), JJ, Kallie and Kenzie were screaming, squealing, giggling and laughing as they all flung flour at each other, just having an all-around good time. JJ could hear her phone ringing in her pocket, as she pulled it out, checking the caller ID.

 _ **DEREK MORGAN**_

"Time-out, time-out, you guys!" the blonde laughed as the three kids halted their fun. "Uncle Derek's calling." JJ went into the hallway, and answered. "Hey, Morgan. What's up?"

 _"JJ, we got him."_ A long pause. _"JJ, you there?"_

"Uh, y-yeah, Morgan, I-I heard you. That's, um... that's great," she chuckled, albeit, surprised. She turned back to the kids, seeing Kallie playfully blow flour right into her sister's face, as the younger girl giggled. She smiled softly at the scene, and turned her attention back. "Uh... is-is Emily there?"

 _"Yeah, she's here."_ JJ could hear shoes shuffling on the other line. The next thing she heard was...

 _"JJ, we got him!"_ Emily exclaimed, feeling like she could jump ten feet in the air from the utter joy. JJ laughed through the line.

"Yeah, Em, I-I heard. So, uhm... what's the next step here?" Emily gave a sigh.

 _"Well, we're taking him down to the station for questioning, just like we planned, but..."_ A long pause.

"But, what?"

 _"Hotch thinks you should come down here and question him with me."_

"Since when did this become _our_ case?" JJ insisted.

 _"Jayje, I didn't mean anything by it, it's just... well, I mean, hello! This was_ your _idea!"_ Emily shot back as the blonde gave a sigh.

"Em, I can't leave the kids."

 _"I didn't say you had to."_ JJ was about to rebut, but Emily beat her to it. _"They'll all be with Penelope."_ The blonde bit her lip, took one look back at the children in the kitchen and sighed.

"Alright. We'll be right there." The two women hung up, and JJ turned back, making her way back into the kitchen, just as Kallie was getting the snickerdoodles out of the oven. "Girls, looks like those cookies are gonna have to wait."

"How come?" Kallie asked, as she gently placed the cookies on a clean plate.

"They found your uncle." The girls looked at each other, then back at JJ. "Emily says our supervisor wants her and I to question him, and she told me that you have to come along." Before either of the girls could say anything, JJ stopped them. "You'll be with our technical analyst, Penelope, the _entire_ time. You'll be safe. We _will not_ let him touch you," she insisted.

Kallie bit down on her lip and looked down at her sister, as Kenzie looked up at Kallie and took her hand.

"Alright. We'll go."

 **~ BAU Headquarters (Interview Room) ~**

"Yes, I raised those two after their parents died. What of it?" Nathan said gruffly. He was cuffed, sitting across from Derek, who pulled out his criminal record file. Nathan let out a laugh. "You feds ain't got nothin' on me."

"Oh, don't we, now?" Derek shot back, opening his file.

"I haven't committed a crime in my life!"

"Oh, really, man? Because being part of the FBI, we have sources, and our sources say that you had a pretty good life with your daughters after your brother and sister-in-law passed, _your_ definition of a "pretty good life" involving _molesting your seven-year-old daughter_!"

"That's outrageous! That was never reported!"

"Only because you had her endure _ten years_ of torture, just to keep her mouth shut!" Derek roared, completely _infuriated_ with this monster. "Now, I know for a fact that _I'm_ not gonna get your confession... but you'll come clean once you talk to the two Agents that are currently caring for your daughters. Get your motors runnin' a bit, huh?" Nathan pursed his lips together as Derek got up from this seat. "I'd rather not waste my time with you."


	9. Anything for Family

The girls, Henry and JJ arrived at the BAU Headquarters, Emily waiting for them at the parking entrance. Once they were out of the car, Kenzie jumped into Emily's arms.

"Emily!" she giggled.

"Hey, sweetheart!" Emily embraced the young girl, and nodded to the inside of the station. JJ was about to go in, when...

"JJ," Kallie said, stopping her.

"Yeah?" The teen bit her bottom lip nervously. "What's up, Kallie? Did you forget something?"

"No," Kallie replied, shaking her head. "I... just... I have a favor to ask."

"Listening..." JJ said, furrowing her brow. Kallie took a deep breath and let it out.

"I wanna hear his confession. I wanna go into the interview room with you and Emily."

"... Kallie... y-you understand what you're asking me right now, don't you?"

"Perfectly," Kallie replied, expressionless. "Look, I know this is risky, and it might sound kinda weird, but... I won't be able to rest easy - much less protect Kenzie - knowing that he might be capable of doing something like this again." JJ suddenly gripped the teen's shoulders.

"Kallie, there won't be an 'again,' much less a 'next time.' We're gonna put your uncle away, you'll see." Kallie seemed frustrated, as she licked and pursed her lips.

"How can you be so sure? I mean, what if he escapes?"

"Then, he's gonna have to go through your _mother_ to get to you two." Kallie furrowed her brows.

"JJ, what-?"

"Okay." She gave a sigh, melding it with a chuckle. "Guess the cat's outta the bag, then, huh? Kallie... Emily and I were talking, and... she's been helping me get through all of the necessary people and paperwork in order to... adopt you both," she confessed. Kallie's eyes widened, and she let a huge grin curve her lips. "I always say that you have to do _anything_ and _everything_... for your family. And, Kallie, sweetie, as far as I'm concerned, you and Kenzie _are_ mine... and Henry's family." JJ let a soft, truly motherly smile curve her lips as the teen happily wrapped her arms around her. She gently kissed her head, letting her motherly side kick in. From the entrance of the Headquarters, Emily and Kenzie watched the sight before them.

"Emily, did something happen?" the young girl asked the brunette, looking up at her.

 _She said it. She's really going through with this... Good for you, Jayje. Good for you._

Emily looked down at Kenzie, and gently kissed her head.

"I'll tell you later, sweetheart. Why don't you just come with me, and I'll take you to see our friend, Penelope, so she can keep an eye on you guys, okay?"

"Okay," Kenzie said cutely as they made their way back inside.

"Just follow Emily and your sister, and wait for me in our friend, Penelope's, office while I talk to my supervisor, okay?" JJ instructed Kallie as the teen nodded.

"Okay."

 **~ Back in the Interview Room ~**

"Please tell me I'm not the only one thinkin' we should put this guy away right this second," Derek expressed.

"Take it easy, Morgan," Hotch ordered.

"Like hell I can!" Derek got a good look at Nathan through the glass, and whipped his head away in frustration. "This girl went through the _exact same thing_ that I did! The only difference is she wasn't old enough to understand what was happenin' to her! Hotch, this girl couldn't even _get help_. You're tellin' me that this doesn't piss you the hell off right now?!"

"Morgan, right now, we need to focus on those girls, Emily and JJ, and see if they can get through to Wright." Derek let out a frustrated groan, when there was a knock on the door, JJ coming inside.

"Hotch, I need a favor."

 **~ Penelope's Office ~**

"So, what's it like being a hacker?" Kallie asked.

"Ah, I _used_ to be a hacker, sweetheart. I'm an FBI Agent now," Penelope said, winking playfully as Kallie let out a quiet laugh.

"Okay, what's it like being an FBI Agent? More specifically, what's it like in the BAU?"

"Well, if I had to describe this job in one word, it'd be 'rewarding.' Because, believe me, hon, with all the guts and gore that we deal with everyday, with every piece of a victim that comes on my screens, all of those photos... just get us one step closer to catching the unsub." Kallie furrowed her brow at the word "unsub." "Unknown subject, that's what we call 'em."

"Cool!" Penelope giggled at the teen's intrigued attitude. "If I had _half_ the guts that JJ and Emily do, and enough nerve to even _pick up_ a gun, I'd probably wanna join the FBI. Maybe be what JJ was before - what was that called again?"

"Communications liaison."

"That's the person that decides the case, and... talks to the families of the victims, right?" Kallie clarified as Penelope nodded. "That's kinda like, on-case therapy, huh?" she joked, as Penelope let out a jovial laugh.

"Yeah, somethin' like that." Kallie giggled as there was a knock at the open door.

"Kallie." The teen turned to see JJ. "Our supervisor said it's okay." Kallie felt her shoulders tense, and her breath caught in her throat. "You can come in with Emily and I."

"What's going on, Kallie?" Kenzie asked curiously.

"I'm gonna talk to Uncle Nate with JJ and Emily," she explained gently. A slight pause.

"Be careful," Kenzie said quietly, as her sister smiled softly.

"I will, squirt, don't you worry." She got down to her level and gently kissed her forehead. "I'll be right back, okay?" JJ lead Kallie out towards the interview room, where Emily, Hotch and Derek and Spencer were waiting.

"Guys, this is Kaelyn, the girl I've been telling you about. Kallie, these are Special Agents Derek Morgan, Aaron Hotchner, and Dr. Spencer Reid," Emily said, introducing her fellow profilers. Kallie gave a shy wave, seeing as the three agents were men.

"Nice to meet you."

"Kaelyn, I swear to you, we _will_ get your uncle behind bars, just you wait," Derek declared.

"We're doing everything we can. And you've got JJ and Emily, you seem to really trust them," Hotch added sincerely.

"It'll all be okay, trust me," Spencer said, smiling softly. Kallie sent a soft smile their way, and looked over at JJ and Emily, who nodded reassuringly.

"Take their word for it, Kallie," Emily said.

"If there's one thing that we've learned about these men, it's that they _always_ keep their promises," JJ added. The teen looked around at the five agents, and took a deep breath. She sighed, gently letting her shoulders drop. She knew she had to trust these people... because soon, these people would all be protecting her - they'd be her _family._ And JJ was right. These people really would do anything to protect their family. She could rest assured knowing that after this, she and Kenzie weren't gonna be alone anymore. Never again.


	10. Courageous

_"Courage isn't having the strength to go on - it is going on when you don't have the strength." -Napoleon_

 **~ Interview Room ~**

Emily entered the room and sat down, Nathan looking _really_ frustrated.

"How much longer do I have to be in here before you guys have any actual evidence that I did this? It was never reported," he insisted. "You guys can't get a rape kit on 'er - nothing'll come up, and you know it." Emily tried to contain her anger, pursing her lips together, and leaned in closer to him across from the table.

"We don't need a rape kit, Nathan."

"Good, so you've got no physical evidence. Can I go now?" Nathan said monotonously.

"Oh, that's very true, Nate. We don't have evidence, but... we _do_ have someone that can verify _all_ the unspeakable things you did." The gruff man across from the brunette profiler furrowed his brow, before Emily turned in her seat. "You can bring her in now, JJ."

"You ready?" JJ said right outside the door. Kallie gave a slight nod, as the blonde profiler ran her hand down her arm comfortingly. "You'll be okay. We'll be right there with you." Kallie gave another nod, as JJ turned the handle on the door, and they both walked in, Emily and Nathan clearly coming into view.

Kallie could feel her hands getting clammy. She wanted to just run out of there and never look back.

 _No, Kallie! You_ cannot _think like that! You wanted to do this. You can't back down now. This is your chance to say what you've been wanting to for the last ten years. You can do this. You can do this, JJ and Emily are right there with you. You can do this._

Nathan gave a chuckle. "Hey, there, Kallie. How've you been, kid?" Emily and JJ gently looked at, waiting to see if the teen would respond. JJ looked down at her hands. She was fidgeting. She was _not_ liking this at all.

"... I'd feel at least a thousand times better knowing you're behind bars," Kallie finally spoke up. Emily was about to rebut, until JJ gently raised her hand. Nathan took in a sharp breath, with a hurt look on his face.

"Ooh, rough day?" he joked. The two agents were _not_ having this. They both tried to contain their individual _disgust_ for the man across from them. Emily managed to glance down at Kallie's hands. She wasn't fidgeting anymore. The brunette profiler felt her shoulders relax. _Is she gaining her confidence back now?_ she thought.

"Rough _life_ ," Kallie seethed. "No thanks to you."

"I _raised you two._ You oughta be _grateful_ , ya little..." Kallie let out a bitter laugh, cutting her uncle off.

"Please, gratitude is the absolute _last thing_ that I can give you right now!" Nathan could feel his anger boiling up inside him at the thought of his daughter talking back to him. At home, she almost _never_ talked back to him. But, today, this was Kallie's chance. The chance to let _everything_ out in the open. To let go. To relieve herself of all the pent-up anger, heartache... all the nights she spent crying herself to sleep, all the nights that it hurt to even _get out of bed_ in the morning. She needed this. She needed him to hear what she's been wanting to say all these years. She need JJ and Emily to hear it all. "I asked JJ..." she caught herself. "... _Agent Jareau_ if I could come in today to speak to you. And, Nate," she spat, clenching her teeth, and let out a laugh. "... I've a hell of a lot to say to you, so you better be lis'nin." JJ and Emily were baffled at this girl's sudden confidence. Even as professional profilers, neither of them could tell whether this confidence was feigned or not. But, they were proud of her.

"Ha! What, ya think that just 'cause ya got two FBI Agents next to ya, that ya can say what you want to me?" Nathan shot back, testing her.

"You're cuffed," Kallie said, nodding towards his cuffed wrists. It was almost like she had the attitude of someone from the Bronx. "You can't do anything to me." Suddenly, just as she said that, Nathan _kicked_ Kallie's leg from under the table. _Hard._ Kallie screamed out and gripped her leg, feeling the aching pulsations of the impact sink into her ankle, and building up to her kneecap. Emily's eyes burned with rage as she stared the man down, JJ comforting the teen next to her.

"Didn't say nothin' about my legs," Nathan said simply, giving a smirk.

"You touch her again, you bastard, and we'll have you behind bars faster than you can _blink_!" Emily seethed.

"That a _threat_... or a promise... _Agent Prentiss_?" he challenged, that smirk never leaving his face. The two Agents both felt sick to their stomachs.

"Leave... them... out of this," Kallie breathed out through the pain surging through her left leg, her head down. She looked back up at Nathan, her eyes staring dead into his sadistic orbs. "This is between you and me." She gave JJ and Emily a reassuring nod, and turned her attention back to her uncle. "God, I _really_ wish I could've understood what you were doing to me... I knew that I didn't like it, and it made me uncomfortable... but no matter how many times I said 'no,' no matter how many _blood curdling screams_ and cries escaped my lips... even with Kenzie in the next room...!" She stopped herself to let a few tears stream down her cheeks, and took in a shaky breath as Emily and JJ instantly took her hands from under the table. "... You just... held me down. You didn't even have to tie my wrists to the bedpost, no, you just... used your _brute force_ to..." She found herself stopping each time, but didn't care. She needed to get this out. "... You completely _robbed me_ of my innocence - _violated me_!" She found herself screaming as more tears came. "You had me endure all of that pain and horror, and to top it all off, you _still_ smacked me around to this day _just_ so I wouldn't come clean to anyone about you _raping me_!"

"You've been asking to get smacked around lately, kid! Don't put this out on me!" Nathan roared. "Your smart ass mouth brought this on!"

"That's because I was _speaking. My. Mind_ ," Kallie seethed. "And, being the crazy son of a bitch you are, when I spoke my mind last time," she quickly pulled down the sleeve of her flannel. " _this_ is what you did to me!" Emily and JJ felt their breath get caught in their throats at the gruesome burns - that were poorly cared for - came into their line of sight. Kallie then undid the gauze that was wrapped around her fingers and held up her hand that was also badly burnt. She kept her hand up, so Nathan could get a good, long look at his "work". She put her arm back down, and leaned back in her chair. She let out a breath, not even trying to wipe her tears, as she composed herself. "I know that once I go up on that stand, once I testify against you... I won't even _need_ to act like nothing happened, much less try to forget it. Wanna know why? Because something like that... living with that _horror_..." She shook her head knowingly. "... it's not something you can forget. That stays to haunt you forever. Hell, I might even have PTSD! But, that won't matter. Because if I do have it, I'll be able to say that _my uncle_ , the _monster_ that 'raised' me the past ten years, is responsible for my nightmares. I hope you realize now, Uncle Nate, that there's gonna be _nothing_ more satisfying than knowing that once you're behind bars, you. Can't. Touch me." Nathan's lips curved into a mischievous smile. "And you can bet that I'm not gonna let you get to Kenzie, either!" she added. For a while, no more words were exchanged until Kallie let out a quick sigh. "I'm done. I didn't need to hear his confession. I just... needed to get that out," she said monotonously.

"Good enough for us," JJ said softly as she turned in her seat, signaling the guards to come in and take Nathan away. As they pulled him out of the interview, all Hotch, Derek and Spencer could do was glare. Nathan said nothing as Hotch uttered five simple words.

"Get him outta my sight."

Back in the interview room, the three women stayed silent until...

"Kallie...?" Emily asked softly. Suddenly, Kallie lost all composure, and cried and cried and cried. The two Agents instantly wrapped their loving arms around either side of her. "Kallie..."

"Sweetheart, you did _so_ good," JJ soothed. "You did good, honey. The worst is over now, we've got you..."

They each placed a gentle kiss on the teen's head as she lost herself in the comfort of her soon-to-be mother and best friend.


	11. Meanwhile

It was a week after Nathan's conviction, and a week later would lead up to the trial. Oddly enough, ever since the Wright sisters came into Emily and JJ's lives, work at the BAU had been slow. At the most, it was just paperwork, and not actual cases. But, it was satisfying.

Satisfying to know that all of that hard work... had eventually led the two ladies to two of the strongest young women that they've ever come in contact with. As for the men of the BAU, they knew that it would take some time before Kallie could adjust to being around them. But, JJ and Emily would be with her at all times. Every step of the way. And the teen didn't mind it at all. She felt comfortable around the two Agents, and didn't feel annoyed that they were following her. Because, rather, they were protecting her.

But, throughout the week, JJ had been contemplating something for quite a while.

Having Emily live with her is the absolute best, and they always had time to bond with each other. Girls night out, talking (whether it be about work, or what Henry had done a week ago), and just having an all-around good time with each other.

But, the blonde profiler felt... something a little more for her best friend. JJ loved Emily, but _more_ than a friend. She _loved_ her. She would do anything for her. Take a bullet, take the fall for something, you name it. Yes, JJ wanted to adopt these girls, and love them and care for them, but she didn't wanna do it alone. She _needed_ Emily by her side. Not just for help, but so the five of them could be together. As a _real_ family. Blood or not, they would be a _family_. And JJ wanted that more than anything. So, she came to a decision.

Once this all blows over, after the trial, once they _win_ the case... she would propose to Emily.

She, surprisingly, had already received Emily's mother's blessing, so that was checked off.

Her mother had approved as well.

So, the last few people that she needed approval from... were Penelope, Henry and the Wright sisters (soon-to-be Prentiss-Jareau).

She figured Hotch, Derek and Spencer had already figured her out, so she didn't bother asking them.

One morning, the blonde got out of bed and headed out into the hallway, to smell something delicious in the kitchen. She inched closer to expect Emily, not trying to burn anything... when Kallie comes into view, in an apron, frying some sizzling bacon. She panned her blue eyes over to the kitchen table, which was already set for five, utensils and all.

Kallie placed a plate of at least ten strips of bacon on the table, and when the teen came into view, JJ noticed she had earphones on. She waved her hand in front of Kallie, getting her attention. Kallie removed one earphone from her ear and smiled.

"Good morning, JJ!" she said cheerfully, turning back over to the pan on the fire.

"Uhh... good morning, Kallie..." she said. "Honey... what is all this?" she asked, gesturing to everything on the table.

"It's breakfast. What's it look like?" Kallie laughed, shrugging her shoulders.

"Yeah, I can see that!" JJ laughed. "It just looks... Wow."

"That bad, huh?" Kallie guessed, slightly disheartened.

"Oh, no, no, no! I mean... everything looks amazing, sweetie, really."

"Great, because, well..." she let a light shade of pink tint her cheeks. "I wanted to, I guess, thank you and Emily for... well, saving us, really. I know that it took a lot of work, effort and determination to do what you guys had to do, so... this is the least I can do." She went over to JJ, and gently pecked her cheek. "Thanks, JJ. For everything, it... I don't think I've ever come across someone who could go through hell and back just to get my sister and I out of that house." The blonde profiler smiled softly. "So..." Kallie said, gently pushing JJ towards the table. " _You_ don't move a muscle, and just let me finish up, and I'll wake Emily, Henry and Kenzie so we can all eat." JJ was about to grab a strip of bacon, until... "Ah-ah-ah!"

"What?"

"You're not eating until everyone's at the table," Kallie ordered. "In my opinion, it's bad manners." JJ laughed. _God, is this girl for real?_ she thought. "Just sit tight, okay, Mom?" JJ's eyes widened. "Yeah, I called you Mom. Is that a problem?" she joked, smirking. JJ was, albeit, _speechless._ Kallie let a giggle escape her lips, and headed into the hallway to wake the others.

~ After Breakfast ~

"Well, Jayje, I have to head out before those deals sell out," Emily said, rushing to grab her purse and car keys, and JJ let out a laugh. Emily figured that the girls needed some new clothes and other necessities, and there were some deals at the mall, so she couldn't miss it. "See you guys later!" she called out as she was out the door. JJ went over to the front window to see Emily's car pull out of the driveway. She looked back over to the girls and Henry, and went over to sit with them on the couch in the living room.

"Girls, I need your opinion on something," JJ said to the two sisters sitting alongside her son.

"What is it, Mom?" Kenzie asked. JJ smiled softly. She was really gonna need to adjust to two more kids calling her "Mom". _All in due time, JJ. All in due time..._

"Well..." The blonde profiler brushed some hair behind her ear and laughed. "I don't know how else I wanna say this, but, uhm..." She briefly looked at the three kids on the couch. "After we get through all of this, once this trial and your girls' adoption all blows over, I... I'm planning to... ask Emily to marry me," she let out. "Living together has made me realize that..." she laughed. "I love her. She means the world to me, and... I can't imagine my life without her. But, the main reason why I wanna go through with this is because... well, I know how you girls dream of being part of a _real_ family, so... if Emily agrees, then that's what you're gonna get. A real family." The girls just sat there, their jaws slightly dropped. They were speechless. JJ let out a sigh. "Bad idea, huh?"

"No, no! Uhm... ha, Mom, that... that's awesome!" Kallie exclaimed.

"You should totally do it!" Kenzie added.

"We'll be behind you 110%."

"Wha- seriously?"

"Totally!" the two sisters exclaimed.

"Aunt Emmy's gonna be my second Mommy?!" Henry exclaimed as JJ laughed.

"Yes, bud, if she agrees."

"Well, let's hope she does," Kallie insisted. "It'd be pretty cool to have another FBI Agent as our Mom."

"You bet!"

JJ was elated. She has her soon-to-be daughters' support, and more than that, even her son is happy! That was all the blonde needed to hear.

She reminded herself to tell Penelope and ask her to look for a good enough ring for her soon-to-be fiancé. She couldn't get the idea out of her mind. The thought of the girls becoming Kaelyn and Mackenzie Prentiss-Jareau, and Henry, too.

After all of that darkness, if even just for a while... things were starting to become a little brighter for her little family. And she couldn't be happier.


	12. The Trial

_**~ Weekend Before the Trial ~**_

 _"Hey, Jayje," Emily said to JJ, who was on her laptop._

 _"Hey, Em."_

 _"Whatcha doin'?"_

 _"Just researching domestic abuse involving families, and lemme tell ya, Em, this information... whew, 'brutal' isn't even enough to describe it; it's sickening."_

 _Of course Emily sympathized with these poor children, but she knew that just looking at research regarding these kids' abuse isn't gonna save them. But, then again... that's why they were there. To protect kids like Kallie. That's when a light bulb went off in her head._

 _The brunette pursed her lips together, and licked them before she spoke._

 _"Hey, Jayje..."_

 _"What's up?"_

 _"I've been thinking..."_

 _"Oh, have you, now?" JJ teased, as Emily rolled her eyes._

 _"... Well, I actually was hoping... You know how one of my specialties in the BAU is... child advocacy...?"_

 _"You want to represent Kallie in the trial - become her lawyer," JJ guessed. Well, it wasn't exactly a_ guess, _because she was spot-on. "Being a specialist in Child Advocacy, it's no wonder you would wanna do this. And I'll let you do it, Em... on_ one _condition."_

 _"Hah... what is it?" Emily sighed at the word "condition"._

 _"Kenzie testifies as well." Emily let out another sigh._

 _"Jayje, we've been through this already."_

 _"Well, how many more times_ do _we have to go through this before you actually agree to letting Kenzie testify?!" the blonde exclaimed, raising her voice._

 _"JJ, keep your voice down! The girls and Henry are still in the hallway!" Emily whispered loudly. The blonde let out a frustrated sigh and ran her hand through her blonde locks._

 _"Emily, do have any idea how much I_ cannot _stress that these girls need to_ stay together _?" Emily looked at her best friend, wracked with guilt that she just can't bring herself to agree to letting the eleven-year-old girl testify alongside her sister. "I've told you time and time again, if Kenzie doesn't come forward with this, there is_ no _trial! We'll have nothing left to go on!"_

 _"I don't want that any more than you do, Jayje! You think I don't know that?!" The brunette found herself raising her voice at her best friend, and pursed her lips together to avoid getting more heated._

 _"You_ have no time _to think about this, Em; face it. The trial is in_ two days _. So, you better make up your mind by then, or Lord, help me, I'll bring her in myself."_

And bring her in, she did. Mackenzie was sitting next to her sister at the witness stand, being sworn in. The bailiff asked for the oath as the girls had their left hands on the bible, their right hands raised.

"Do you both swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?" The girls looked at each other, then they both took a good, long look at Emily and JJ, who both offered reassuring nods. They took deep breaths, and both said...

"I do."

 **~ 30 Minutes into the Trial ~**

 **(A/N: Just wanna kinda skip into Emily's and the sister's points of the trial. Hope you guys don't mind.)**

Nathan's lawyer was presenting his case, and just giving the jury his background. Where he grew up, describing his life and things like that. Once the court and jury appealed to that, it was time for Emily to make her first representation of Kallie to the court.

"Agent Prentiss," the judge directed. "If you would." Emily took one reassuring look towards JJ, who smiled softly.

"You can do this," she whispered.

Emily took the deepest breath that she possibly took that day, and stood up from her seat next to Kallie. Her stride was confident, and determined.

 _Just remember, this is for the girls. For JJ. Sure, this is the first time you've appealed to an actual court, but this is your time to speak up for your Child Advocacy skill. Get a grip, Emily! You can do this! You can do this..._

As she stood in front of the jury, her posture never changing, her expression remaining as solemn as possible, she began her statement.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury and of the attendees of this trial, I am appealing to this court, not as an FBI Agent, but as a Child Advocacy attorney to my client, Kaelyn Wright. Now, as many of you were debriefed in the earlier minutes into this trial, my client, as well as her younger sister, is well below the age of an actual adult. Despite the way that Kaelyn carries herself, and behaves around adults, and _appears_ to be an adult like myself and all of you, she is, _by law_ , a minor. Now, I am sure all of you, if not most of you, are aware of the term, 'statutory rape'. Simply put..." she gave a cold stare towards Nathan. "... the molestation of a minor." She turned her attention back to the jury. "I'll put it to the point. Nathan Wright, the offender, is here today on the charges of molesting my client - his _niece_ \- at least ten year prior. Kaelyn is currently seventeen years of age. I'm sure you can do the math." Murmurs and whispers could be heard throughout the courthouse, as Emily continued. "That's correct. Ladies and gentlemen, my client was only _seven years of age_ when she was _brutally beaten and raped_ by _that_ man!" she furiously pointed over to Nathan, fully expressing her anger. She continued before Nathan's lawyer could make an objection, which, glancing over, she knew he would try and debunk her on the spot. She directed her attention to Nathan's lawyer. "If you want to try and prove me wrong, feel free to ask my client. Then, if the jury will allow it, I will present our piece of evidence." She turned to the judge. "The prosecution rests, your Honor."

Emily walked back over to her seat next to Kallie, as the teen gently took her hand.

"You did great," Kallie whispered, smiling softly. Emily lent a smile back.

"Will you and your sister be ready? It's almost your turn." Kallie bit her lip and hesitated a little, before giving a nod.

"Yeah. We'll be ready."


	13. A Teen's Vulnerability

JJ sat stiffly as her soon-to-be adoptive daughters went up on the witness stand together. Her breath hitched and she just _could not_ sit still for the life of her. Her crystal blue orbs kept glancing over to Nathan's lawyer as he made his way to the girls. He began his questioning.

"So, girls..."

"Yes, sir?" Kallie managed quietly.

"How long after your parents died did your uncle take you in?"

"About a month later, as I expressed to JJ..." Kallie caught herself. "...Agent Jareau." Her hands were getting clammy due to the questioning, especially the fact that she was being questioned by a _man_.

 _Why couldn't it have been Emily asking these questions? I mean, yeah, she already knows the truth, but... damn it, Kaelyn, suck it up already! This'll be over before you know it, just... tough it out!_

"And, your uncle did what any other man would do after losing an only sibling - got drunk and took his anger out on the closest person in the room, am I right?"

 _Looks like this guy's not asking anything that would call for an objection so far,_ Kallie thought quizzically.

"Yes, sir," she said, trying to muster up her composure, as Kenzie gently took her hand. The lawyer noticed this and glanced at the younger Wright sister.

"You were claimed to have been molested by my client, correct, Kaelyn?" Kallie pursed her lips at the phrase " _claimed_ to have been molested". This guy really wanted to save their bastard uncle/father's ass, didn't he?

"With all due respect, sir, my molestation ten years ago is not a _claim_ \- it's the God-given truth," Kallie stated matter-of-factly. Nathan's lawyer decided to press her.

"But, in the earlier minutes following this trial today, it was said that there was no trace of _physical_ evidence on your person," he claimed. "There was no rape kit test done, now, was there?"

"Objection!" Emily shouted, raising from her seat. "Your Honor, permission to present our piece of evidence?" The judge gave a nod and gestured to Nathan's lawyer.

"You may step down, sir." He reluctantly stepped down as her gave a cold glare passing by Emily as she made her way over to the jury. Callie felt her shoulders relax as Emily's reassuring smile came into view.

"Ladies and gentlemen, in the time leading up to this trial, Kaelyn and Mackenzie have been in the care of my colleague, Agent Jennifer Jareau and myself. The girls had previously occupied the apartment next to us. So, in the meantime, Agent Jareau and I called for a search warrant directed by our other colleagues. Agents Derek Morgan, Dr. Spencer Reid and our supervisor, Aaron Hotchner." The three mentioned Agents stood up to present themselves before gingerly seating themselves back down as Emily continued. She held up what appeared to be a tape recorder. "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you our first, but _only_ , piece of evidence. I, however, believe that this should be enough for you all, as the jury, to make your decision. Buried deep beneath the confines of the Wright apartment complex, this tape recorder was found. Now, you all may recognize this particular recorder to look a little beyond its time. It, despite that, is functional, and served as the perfect piece of evidence to put _that man..._ " she pointed over to Nathan. "...where he belongs. Away from my client and her sister, and behind bars." She placed the tape recorder on the table she was sitting at. "Now, before I play the material on this tape, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I ask..." she caught herself before proceeding. "I _implore_ you to listen to this not just with your ears... but with your hearts and minds as well." She took a deep breath and looked over at Kallie and gave a slight look of apology.

The teen glanced over at the tape recorder, and suddenly, _everything_ that happened on that dreadful day all came flooding back to her. Her mind brought her back to the interview room a week ago.

" _Living with that_ horror... _it's not something you can forget. That stays to haunt you forever."_

The teen's breath began to quicken as Emily pressed "Play." She was going to relive that day. She had forgotten that...

Nathan had taped what he had done to her.

 _"Uncle Nate, what are you doing?"_ Kallie's seven-year-old self said, as her little voice filled the courtroom.

Kallie felt sick to her stomach, as she tried to keep it from churning. Kenzie's grip on her sister's hand tightened.

The teen remembered what he did next.

She closed her eyes, not being able to keep herself from visualizing everything in her subconscious. He caressed her cheek.

 _"You're a really pretty girl, y'know that, Kal?"_ He tried to sweet-talk her. His hand went down her arm, as he gripped her shoulder. _"You must miss your Mom and Dad, eh, kiddo?"_ The teen remembered the tears as her seven-year-old self recalled the brutal car accident.

 _"I miss them everyday,"_ she had cried. He pulled into into an embrace.

 _"Hey, hey, sweets - it's okay. Uncle Nate's gonna look after you and your baby sister now, okay?"_ he had cooed. The sound of lips contacting with skin filled the courtroom. He had gently kissed her cheek.

Then, silence. Kallie remembered him staring into her eyes. She remembered the look on his face. He had... _wanted_ her.

Kallie remembered what happened next.

He had rushed into it.

She recalled his disgusting, alcohol-flavored lips touching her own as she squealed from the contact. His burly hands keeping her face in place as he forced his lips onto hers. She had felt his tongue slide into her small mouth, and it took everything she had to pull away, but to no avail. He had pushed her down onto the bed and slid one of his hands down south of her tiny body. Kallie remembered, only slightly, being able to _bite_ forcefully onto his tongue that was still lodged into her mouth.

 _"Uncle Nate, what are you doing?!"_ Kallie had screamed.

 _"Keep quiet, Kal, would ya? You wouldn't wanna wake your sister,"_ he had sighed as his lips had come in contact with her small neck.

 _"Uncle Nate, I don't like this - please stop,"_ she had whimpered.

 _"Just play along, sweet pea."_

That's all that Kallie could remember doing; playing along with her uncle's _sick, twisted_ game. Nathan had held her wrists down with his burly hands, and began kissing her south of her body. The _utter stench_ of alcohol had never left her nostrils as she could feel herself reeking of it. He brought his hand to her center and began rubbing. She could feel herself screaming by now, regardless of her sister being in the next room.

 _"Please stop! Stop it, Uncle Nate!"_

A slap was heard.

 _"I said, keep quiet!"_ Nathan had roared. On the witness stand, Kallie could feel a lump the size of a soccer ball forming in her already-dry throat. She knew all too well what had happened next. _"What does it have to take for you to listen to me for once, you ungrateful piece of shit?!"_ Kallie remembered as clear as day the expression that he had given before he proceeded with... _violating_ her. _"Ahh, I know what'll keep you quiet."_

By, then, Kallie had covered her hears on the stand, as she could tried to block out the screams and shrieks that had escaped her lips all those years ago... but were never heard.

In the seats of the courtroom, JJ couldn't help the tears that fell from her sapphire orbs as she sobbed, hunched over, hearing the sounds of this poor little girl being violated. Penelope wrapped her arms around her fellow blonde as, she too, let her tears shed themselves down her eyes.

Emily tried to gain her composure, as she was still the attorney presenting the piece of evidence, but was failing slightly, as she could feel the lump in her throat forming.

Hotch could feel his eyes welling up with tears as well, and his hands balled up into fists to keep from standing up from his seat and going over and destroying that tape recorder.

For Derek, the feeling was mutual, except he wanted to go over and destroy Nathan first, seeing as he was closer.

And Spencer just kept glancing over from JJ to the tape recorder, to the two girls at the stand. He just couldn't _fathom_ what he was currently hearing and was albeit, _speechless._

Each member of the BAU had different expressions outwardly, but inside, they were all thinking the same thing.

 _This man_ cannot _live any longer than Kallie - poor, poor Kallie - has to live with this never-ending nightmare. He_ needs _to lose this trial._

 _We need to keep these girls safe._


	14. Promises

Kallie was hunched over the toilet in the restroom, Penelope holding her hair. All of that pressure in the courtroom earlier was just too much for her. She sniffled as all the bile had exited her system and lifted her head up from the toilet, letting out a groan.

"Feelin' okay, baby?" Penelope asked gently.

"I think so," Kallie said, feeling her throat burn. "Thanks, Penelope." The quirky tech analyst handed her a bottled water as the teen twisted the cap open and gladly chugged it down. "How's my Mom doing?" Penelope smirked, remembering how JJ told her how both the girls are already considering her their mother.

"She's holding up, hon."

"After this break, then the jury will... make the decision, right?" Penelope nodded as Kallie went over to the sink and splashed some cold water on her face before handing the plastic bottle back. Penelope smiled sadly at the teen before her.

"Your uncle will pay _greatly_ for what he did, Kallie, just you wait and see," she reassured her as Kallie let a smile curve her lips for the first time that day.

"Thanks." She collected herself, and let out a tired sigh. "I just wanna get this over with. I never knew it'd be so exhausting." Penelope came over to Kallie and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Well, your guys' case is... well, it's nothing we haven't seen before, but..." The older woman tried to find the words to say as she pursed her lips together. "Okay, see... there's a reason JJ and Emily are trying so hard for you and your sister." Kallie raised her eyebrows.

" _Other_ than the fact that they don't want us to get separated?"

"Oh, honey, believe me when I say that they don't want that any more than you girls do," Penelope confessed as Kallie listened intently. "Look, JJ and Emily are my best friends, so... you girls already mean just as much to me - and to the rest of the team - as you do to them. With us, blood or not... you do what it takes to protect your family." Kallie let out a laugh.

"Seems to me like 'family' is your guys' motto, huh?"

"Each and every one of us cherish family more than anything. But, no more so than JJ and Emily. Both those strong young women experienced some losses that they just _can't imagine_ reliving with you girls."

"What losses were those...?" Kallie asked, her eyebrows furrowed. Penelope put a finger to her lips.

"That's something that you're gonna have to ask them about down the road." The teen gave a nod.

"Fair enough."

 **~ JJ ~**

The blonde was hunched over, Hotch sitting next to her.

"I don't think I've seen you so anxious," the Supervisor lamented. JJ started to fidget with her hands, a nervous habit she had developed after Askari.

"We all have our anxieties, Hotch," she said simply, as her leg began to bounce. Hotch gave a sigh and stopped the bouncing, gently, comfortingly, placing his hand on her knee.

"JJ... if that piece of evidence isn't enough to convince the judge, much less the jury, of Nathan's acts towards Kaelyn... then we're obviously in the wrong courthouse." The blonde let out a dry laugh, as she looked forward to see Emily with her arm wrapped around a sleeping Kenzie. She smiled softly at the scene, as Emily caught her eye and smiled back.

"Hotch... I know I've already expressed this more than once, but..." she gave a laugh. "throughout the time that I've known these girls... if there's one thing that I'm certain of, it's that I _cannot_ see these either of them in a more safe place... than with Emily and I," she confessed, as her supervisor let a small smile curve the corners of his lips. "Am I asking for too much right now?"

"I don't think you're _asking_ for anything here." JJ furrowed her brow. "I think that you _want_ what each and every one of us want out of today." She gave a chuckle. "Can you tell me what that is?" JJ licked her lips and bit down on them in concentration.

 _What I want out of this..._

"I want these girls to be able to walk out of here, knowing that _they themselves_ made this possible. That by the strength of their sisterly bond, they put their uncle behind bars, where he belongs. I wanna be able to call these girls my daughters, I wanna be able to keep them safe, I want these girls to grow stronger each day knowing that we'll protect them and love them and care for them, just like they deserve. I want them to live their lives happy, and although it may be bumpy along the way... I want them to live their lives without any regrets," she said confidently. "I would _gladly_ take a bullet for these girls, if the time ever came, and I'm sure Emily feels the same way. Face it, Hotch, Kallie and Kenzie aren't just a part of _my_ family."

"They're a part of _our_ family," he concluded.

"The BAU family." The supervisor and the blonde profiler each shared a smile. "And we don't give up on family." Hotch gave a nod.

"Damn right, we don't."

 **~ Back in the Courtroom (The Verdict) ~**

The air in the courtroom was thin as every attendee stood at their feet. Hands were held like a chain as everyone from the BAU could feel the tension building up to this verdict. They were all anxious to hear what words would come after "We, the jury, find the defendant, Nathan Wright...". JJ and Emily were gripping each others' hands enough to bruise them. Their heads hung down, eyes closed, _praying_ for the verdict. Then, amidst the tension...

The judge banged his gavel.

JJ's and Emily's heads shot up at the noise, and their heads whipped over to the jury.

"Jury, how do you find?"

"Your Honor, on this day, after much consideration... In the case of Nathan Wright versus Kaelyn and Mackenzie Wright..." Everyone from the BAU held their breath as the juror said these last, exact words.

"...we find the defendant... guilty on the charges of aggravated, statutory rape, and the continued abuse and neglect of Kaelyn Wright and her younger sister. Nathan Wright will be sentenced to prison - 25 to life - with no possibility of parole. Agents Jareau and Prentiss, congratulations. This case is yours."

Derek and Spencer hugged each other and cheered, going over to JJ and Emily.

"Em, Jayje, did you hear that?!" Derek exclaimed with the biggest, goofiest smile on his face.

"You guys won!"

The two Agents were speechless before tears of relief and happiness flooded their eyes and streamed down their cheeks. They both looked at each other and hugged, crying into each others' shoulders.

The sisters next to them brought themselves into their hug, as, they too, shed the same expressed tears.

It was all over. Nathan was being sent to prison, and Kallie and Kenzie could _finally_ live in peace.

And JJ and Emily could both live knowing that... they kept these girls safe.

They _will_ keep these girls safe. And so will the team.

This entire team was these girls Safe Haven.


	15. Not Just Somebody's Hero

JJ and Emily were driving home, Kallie, Kenzie and Henry in the backseat of the car. Kallie was listening to music, earbuds in her ears, looking absently out the car window. JJ glanced through the rearview.

"Everything okay, Kallie? You're kinda quiet." The teen glanced at the blonde profiler and removed one earbud from her ear.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine, just..." she gave a laugh. "I just... _can't believe_ this is happening. I feel like... like..."

"Like a gigantic weight has been lifted off your shoulders?" Emily guessed.

"... Is it possible to feel something more than that?" Kallie questioned as Emily gave a laugh.

"Depends if there _is_ something more." Kallie gave a shrug, and glanced to the driver's seat.

"So, JJ, we're celebrating this, aren't we?" The blonde gave an incredulous glance to the teen.

"C'mon, Kal, you _really_ think that we could just end this day without a celebration?" Kallie gave a laugh, which curved her lips into a playful smirk.

"Well, does that mean we're celebrating _two_ things today?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean... there's still the matter of you asking Emily to..." The blonde cut her off, shushing her. Emily gave a quizzical look to her FBI partner.

"Ask me what, Jayje?" JJ gave a soft smile towards Emily.

"It's a surprise, Em," she chuckled. Emily shot an accusing look back over at Kallie.

"Kallie, if you know something I don't..."

"My lips are sealed, Emily, sorry." The brunette profiler narrowed her brown orbs at the teen in the backseat.

"Kenzie?"

"Nope, swore not to tell a soul," she said playfully. Emily pressed on.

"Henry?" The little boy shook his head, smiling.

"Mommy said to keep it a secret." Emily laughed at the three kids' persistence as JJ pulled up, unbuckling her seatbelt and opening her car door, Emily gingerly following behind.

"You'll just have to wait and see," the blonde teased.

The five of them entered the apartment complex, the ladies setting their things down, while the kids went to get ready for the party.

Kallie grabbed the duffel bag that JJ had packed for her when they had spent their first night there. She had pretty much grabbed most of her clothes, as did Emily with Kenzie.

Kallie pulled out a slim red dress with some slight sparkle on it. _Guess I'll go with this one!_ She gave a smile and changed into it, slipping off her undergarments, before slipping into the red little number. She took one look at herself in the mirror, and gently grazed her fingers on the necklace she always wore. It had her name on it, in small, gold letters. Her mother had given her that the night when she was cleared to go home after her labor with Kenzie - the night of the accident.

She's never taken it off to this day, and she thinks about her parents everyday.

Her mother's last words to her were...

 _Live with no regrets. Remember, that love_ does _exist. And it's the strongest emotion in the world. Protect your sister, shower her with that love. Never let her forget how much you love her. Tell her everyday. Even if it annoys her._ She remembers her laughing through the pain a little. _Tell her as many times, until your voice hurts. Never give up on her. Love her with your life. Just as I loved you._

Kallie's eyes slowly began to well up with tears. Before they could inch out of her eyes, she took a deep breath, slowly letting it out.

 _Don't tear up now, Kallie! Now isn't the time. If anything, these should be tears of_ joy _, not sadness. But, not gonna lie... not a millisecond goes by that I don't think about Mom and Dad. I'll be sure to tell them someday about JJ and Emily. That they're good people. They've chosen to protect us. That we're not alone anymore._

She snapped out of her mental mantra and headed out into the hallway.

"Mom!" she called.

"Yeah, sweetheart?" JJ said, glancing up at her, before getting a good look at the teen. Kallie smiled sweetly and twirled.

"Kallie..." Emily sighed.

"You like it?"

"It's... it's beautiful, honey." Kallie blushed.

"Oh, Mom, I was just wondering if I could use some of your make-up?"

"Oh. Yeah, of course, hon, go ahead. It's in the nightstand drawer," JJ instructed before Kallie gave her and Emily gentle kisses on the cheek.

"You're the best," she said softly, slipping back into the hallway and into JJ's and Emily's room.

"Don't put too much! That's stuff's expensive!" JJ quickly instructed.

"Yes, Ma'am!" Kallie called back. Emily looked at JJ playfully from the arm of the couch, as JJ lay there, as the blonde let out a chuckle. JJ gently slipped her hand into Emily's, Emily gladly accepting the invitation.

 **~ 7:30pm ~**

Everyone was at the apartment complex, the place in full swing. Music blasting, small talk, laughter, stories, drinks, food and just an all-around big, lovely family. Amidst all of the fun, JJ had called out.

"Um, guys, everyone. Can I just... get your attention?" All eyes were on JJ crystal blue ones as she began her speech. "So, today is a very... commemorative day. A day of success. A day of family. A day of love." She looked at Kallie and Kenzie, who wrapped their arms around each other lovingly. "Emily and I wanted more than anything to keep these girls safe. We had an internal promise pretty much embedded in Kallie and Kenzie's minds, they just didn't know it. And that promise was that we would do _anything_ for these girls. Be it, taking a bullet... falling ill... basically do anything to protect them - make sure they were safe. And now... tonight, I realized that there isn't a safer place for them then right here with us. Not just with Emily and I... but with our entire BAU family. A family that... loves, lives and _lasts_." Her eyes glanced toward Emily. "A family that... I believe, is... about to get... just a little bigger." She fully looked at Emily, and...

Got down on one knee.

Kallie and Kenzie couldn't suppress the _huge_ smiles that were gracing their lips. Emily was baffled. JJ gently took her left hand.

"JJ, what-?"

"Emily... throughout the time that we've been living together, you have meant _so much_ to me," the blonde began. "And throughout the time that we've gotten to know the girls..." She and Emily glanced over to see the sweetest smiles grace Kallie and Kenzie's lips. "... I've realized that... yeah, I'd love them to be a part of our family... but after much consideration..." She gave a laugh. "... I've realized that I don't want our family to a family of four. Emily, I want Kallie and Kenzie to be able to live under the roof of _both_ of the people that saved them, and be able to call them _both_ their mothers. So... Emily Prentiss..." She glanced over at Kallie, and she went over and handed the box with the ring. "... will you do me the honor..." She opened the box, to reveal a beautiful little ring. "... of becoming that fifth member of our little family?"

Emily fanned her eyes to keep the tears from inching out of her brown eyes. She gave a laugh and looked down at JJ.

 _Just_ what _is happening right now? My_ best friend _is proposing to me... and I can't say "no"._ Her eyes directed over to Kallie and Kenzie, as their smiles widened.

"Please say 'yes'," Kallie said softly. "It would mean everything - not just to JJ - but to us."

"Please, Emily!" Kenzie begged. "We love you already."

"So, if you do say 'yes'..."

"We'll love you all the more," they said together, as Emily gave another laugh, and her tears streamed freely down her eyes. She took one last look down at JJ, as these seven words escaped her quivering lips.

"Jennifer Jareau, _yes_ , I _will_ marry you!"

JJ smiled as she slipped the ring on her finger, her hands slightly shaking.

 _Oh, my God! I'm marrying my best friend!_

The second that the ring had fit perfectly on Emily's finger, JJ instantly dropped the box, and got up from her knee, happily capturing Emily's lips with her own, as the entire apartment broke out into applause. The kiss lingered on both their lips as they pulled away, their foreheads touching lovingly. JJ glanced back at Kallie and Kenzie, one arm outstretched.

"Girls, Henry, get over here!" All three kids happily, _excitedly_ , ran into both of their mothers' loving arms, giggling. JJ wrapped an arm around Kallie and Kenzie, Emily wrapping her arm around Henry.

"Uncle Spence, can you take a picture?!" Kenzie asked excitedly.

"Of the Prentiss-Jareau family?" he asked, smirking.

"Yes, Spence!" JJ laughed.

Spencer grabbed JJ's phone, and was preparing to snap a photo as the five of them positioned themselves.

The sisters were standing next to JJ, Kallie wrapping her arms around Kenzie, who was in front of her. JJ had one arm around Kallie's waist, and the other over Emily's shoulders, and Emily wrapped her arm around Henry's shoulders. They all had the most beautiful smiles any family could ever display. Spencer, satisfied, with the position, snapped a few photos of the little happy family.

As they pulled away, Kallie remembered something.

"Oh! Um, JJ, Emily, Kenzie and I actually have something prepared for you two." The two Agents furrowed their brows.

"What is it?" JJ asked.

"It's a song!" Kenzie exclaimed.

"See, one of our passions - besides each other - is singing, and... we just thought that this particular song was... _perfect_ for the two of you. Not as wives, but... as mothers to us," Kallie concluded wrapping an arm around her sister. She went over to the iHome on the kitchen counter. "So, just _really listen_ to the lyrics, okay?" JJ and Emily looked at each other and decided to play along.

"Okay, then - all ears," Emily said.

Kallie scrolled through the playlist, and found the song. She pressed "Play." As the intro played, the girls swayed their hips along to the music. Kallie started it off.

 **(A/N:** _KALLIE/_ KENZIE/ _ **BOTH**_ **)**

 _She's never pulled anybody from a burning building_

 _She's never rocked Central Park to a half a million fans, screaming out her name_

 _She's never hit a shot to win the game_

She's never left her footprints on the moon

She's never made a solo hot air balloon ride, around the world,

No, she's just your everyday average girl (but)

 _ **She's somebody's hero**_

 _ **A hero to her baby with a skinned up knee**_

 _ **A little kiss is all she needs**_

 _ **The keeper of the cheerios**_

 _ **The voice that brings Snow White to life**_

 _ **Bedtime stories every night**_

 _ **And that smile lets her know**_

 _ **She's somebody's hero**_

JJ could feel the tears welling up in her eyes, as well as Emily.

 _She didn't get a check every week like a nine-to fiver_

 _But she's been a waiter, and a cook and a taxi driver_

 _For twenty years, there at home, until the day her girl was grown_

Giving all her love to her was her life's ambition

But now her baby's movin' on, and she'll soon be missin' her

But not today, those are tears of joy runnin' down her face

 _ **She's somebody's hero**_

 _ **A hero to her daughter in her wedding dress**_

 _ **She gave her wings to leave the nest**_

 _ **It hurts to let her baby go down the aisle she walks right by**_

 _ **Looks back into her mother's eyes**_

 _ **And that smile lets her know**_

 _ **She's somebody's hero**_

 _Thirty years have flown right past_

Her daughters' starin' at all the photographs

 _Of her mother, and she wishes she could be like that_

 _ **Oh, but she already is**_

For this part, the girls each went over to Emily and JJ, pulling them up from their seats. Callie danced slowly with JJ, as the blonde smiled, the tears streaming down her face. Emily had her arms wrapped around Kenzie's waist, dancing along with her, as the girls finished the song off, their soft angelic voices echoing in their mothers' ears.

 _She's somebody's hero_

 _A hero to her mother in a rockin' chair_

 _She runs a brush through her silver hair_

 _ **The envy of the nursing home**_

 _ **She drops by every afternoon**_

 _ **Feeds her mama with a spoon**_

 _ **And that smile lets her know**_

 _ **Her mother's smile lets her know**_

 _ **She's somebody's hero**_

With the song finished, JJ sobbed happily into Kallie's shoulder, Emily going down to Kenzie's lovel and doing the same. As they pulled away, JJ hugged Emily, and Kenzie went over to Kallie.

"Now, do you understand the meaning of the song?" Kallie asked.

"Because the point of it was..."

"You guys are FBI Agents..."

"So, you _are_ 'somebody's hero'..."

"But, now, since you're our mothers..."

"You're not just somebody's hero anymore."

"You're _our_ heroes," they said together. "And we love you." JJ tearfully wrapped her arms around the two sisters, and gently kissed their heads, Emily doing the same.

"My girls..." the blonde sobbed happily.

" _Our_ girls, Jayje. Our girls," Emily countered.

"We love you, too."


	16. Settling In

**~ One Month Later ~**

Kallie groaned in bed, tossing and turning, breaking into a sweat.

"No... _no_...!" she moaned. Eventually escalated to screams and cries. " _Stop it! Get off of me! Mom! Get him off me! Help me, please!_ "she screamed, as Kenzie shot up in bed at the sound of her sister's cries for help.

"Kallie! Kallie, wake up! You're having a nightmare!" Just as Kenzie was trying to shake Kallie awake, JJ and Emily come running into the guest room from their bedroom across the hall. "She won't snap out of it!" Kenzie exclaimed.

"Kallie! Kallie, sweetheart, open your eyes, honey," JJ urged.

"Kal, it's us, JJ and Emily!" Emily begged. "Please, open your eyes, baby!" Kallie was beyond reason as she was whimpering and writhing. She looked to be in pain. JJ looked at Emily, her eyes plastered with fear and worry for their daughter. She pulled Kallie up by her wrists, but that just scared the teen even more.

" _NO! Stop, lemme go!_ " JJ was _right in_ Kallie's face.

" _KALLIE! IT'S JJ, WAKE. UP!_ " Kallie whimpered at the raised voice, but slowly peeked her hazel eyes open. "That's right, baby. Open your eyes, c'mon," she encouraged softly. Kallie's eyes came into view.

"...Mom...?" she squeaked. JJ let out a sigh of relief as she quickly embraced her shaken daughter. "Mommy...!" the teen whimpered, and began to cry.

"Sshh, sshh, it's okay, baby, it's okay. Just a dream... it was just a dream," JJ cooed, rocking Kallie back and forth in her arms, as she gently kissed her head. "I've got you, I've got you..."

"Are you okay, Kallie...?" Kenzie asked timidly. Kallie just sobbed in reply.

"She's gonna be fine, sweetie," JJ soothed, and glanced over to Emily. "Em, could you get her some water?" Emily gave a nod, quickly making her way out into the hall. The blonde and Kallie pulled away, Kallie still breathing heavily, borderline hyperventilating. "Okay, Kallie, Kallie, look at me, baby girl." The teen slowly looked up at her mother. "I want you to do _exactly_ as I do, okay? Breathe in through your nose, and out through your mouth." JJ demonstrated, taking a deep breath in through her nostrils, and gently let the breath leave her lips. "Just like that, can you do that for me?" Kallie gave a shy nod, and did as her mother demonstrated, slowly, but surely. JJ let a soft smile curve her lips, as she continued encouraging her. "That's it, baby, you're doing great. Just like that, there ya go..." Within minutes, the teen's breathing had calmed down. Emily came back, with a glass of water in her hand. She sat on Kallie's bedside.

"There you go, hon," she said gently, handing the teen the glass. Kallie's trembling hand grabbed the glass. She gave a glance over to JJ.

"Drink it all, sweetie," she whispered softly. "Take your time, though - small sips." Kallie nodded, and took the glass in her hands, slowly drinking it down. "Attagirl." JJ rubbed her back in small circles, as Emily gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. Once Kallie finished the water, she felt herself relax. "Feel better?" Kallie nodded into JJ's shoulder.

"... Guess I was more parched than I thought," she said tiredly as she licked her lips. The two Agents and younger sister let out a collective light laugh. "I didn't wake Henry, did I?" JJ waved it off.

"Oh, no, not at all, sweetie. He's a heavy sleeper at this age," she chuckled. Kallie let a light laugh leave her lips.

"Are you okay, sissy?" Kenzie asked shyly, taking her sister's hand.

"Oh, I'll be... I'll be fine, babe, don't worry," Kallie said, smiling tiredly. "Don't worry about me..."

"You really scared me..."

"I'm sorry, baby..."

"You scared all of us," JJ jumped in, putting an arm around her daughter's shoulders. "But, then again, nightmares are just..."

"One of the major symptoms of PTSD, Mom, I know," Kallie finished monotonously.

"... Would you... wanna get a psych eval...?" Emily hesitated. JJ could feel Kallie trembling, and gave Emily a sad smile, as if to say "She's not ready yet."

"... I don't know..." Kallie said softly.

"That's fine, sweetie," JJ said soothingly, placing a kiss in her hair. "Whenever you're ready."

"Can you guys... stay here until I fall asleep?" Emily and JJ looked at each other before looking back down at their daughter's exhausted features. Emily brought herself closer to Kallie, as did JJ.

"Of course, baby," Emily whispered.

"C'mere, Kenz," JJ whispered, her arm outstretched. Kenzie scooted into JJ's warm embrace.

The four young women spent the rest of the hours of the night in each others' arms, Kallie's previous erratic breathing having calmed down.

 **~ The Next Morning ~**

Kallie slipped into the kitchen, still half-asleep, as JJ was making breakfast. Emily went over to her eldest daughter, as Kallie sat down at the table.

"Morning, honey," the brunette profiler said, placing a feather kiss on Kallie's head.

"Morning, Mama Em," the teen said tiredly, before letting out a yawn.

"Still half-asleep, huh, sweetie?" JJ chuckled.

"A little," Kallie replied, resting her head on the table.

"You want some coffee?" Emily asked. "It always wakes _me_ up."

"Actually, I prefer tea in the morning," Kallie said sleepily.

"Coming right up," Emily said, giving the teen a kiss on her head before making her way to the counter. "You want it with lemon?"

"Yes, please." As Emily got started on Kallie's tea, JJ placed the last bit of breakfast on the table - blueberry pancakes. The scent of the blueberries wafted into Kallie's nostrils, as she gave a content sigh. "Smells great, Mom..."

"Well, you better have some, Kal, while they're still hot," JJ said, going over to the sink to wash her hands. "I have to get ready for work."

"Got a case?" Kallie asked, lifting her head as she folded her hands and closed her eyes, praying silently before grabbing the fork and knife next to her plate, seeing as the table was already set. Emily came over with her tea.

"Yeah, and it's in Wyoming." Kallie felt somewhat disheartened, until JJ sat across from table. "Your Mama Em and I came up with a plan. Since we can't exactly afford a sitter for Henry, and you two are already too old for a sitter, we decided to... switch off between cases," she explained.

"Meaning one of us will be here, while the other is out on the field with the team," Emily clarified. "We already discussed it with our Supervisor..."

"Uncle Hotch?" Kallie recalled.

"Yes, Uncle Hotch," Emily chuckled. "... And he said it was fine."

"Wait," Kallie interrupted, pointing at JJ. "Mom, _you're_ going on this case, so..."

"Your Mama Em will be looking after you three while I'm gone," JJ concluded. Kallie frowned, as JJ placed a hand on top of hers. "I'll be back as soon as I can, honey, I promise. And I'll call you, maybe even FaceTime in between." She let her hand caress her daughter's cheek. "I know you're nervous about one of us being gone, but... this case'll be over before you know it, trust me." She gently kissed Kallie's forehead. "I love you, sweet girl."

"I love you, too," Kallie whispered, feeling the tears well up in her hazel eyes.

"Shh, hey, now, no tears," JJ soothed. "It's not like I'll be gone forever. Give it a week, week and a half, tops." She touched her own forehead to Kallie's. "You take care of your brother and sister till then, okay?"

"I will." JJ's lips gently touched Kallie's forehead once more.

"That's my girl."


	17. Kept Secrets

_"Losing someone is... never easy... but one day, you'll remember her and it won't hurt. You'll be happy."_

Those words that left JJ's lips were words that were... more associated with _herself_ , rather than being directed at Hotch. Those suicides... homicides...? JJ wasn't even sure what to consider them. But, it was another exhausting (physically and emotionally) case, and she was glad it was over. Though, it was certainly something the blonde had to relay to Emily when she got back to the apartment complex. She had just come back to the station to collect her things.

Once she came up to the bullpen, she slipped into her office, and a voice had startled her.

"So, this is your office, huh, Mom?" JJ turned to the voice to see...

Kallie sitting at her desk, and Kenzie casually leaning against it.

"Welcome home!" Kenzie exclaimed.

"We missed you so much!" Kallie added, getting up from her mother's desk, and embraced JJ as she dropped her go-bag to the floor.

"Hah, what are you girls-?"

"Mama Em brought us here," Kenzie explained, going over to hug JJ as well. "She told us you were coming home today, so..."

"We just _had_ to see you!" Kallie concluded.

"That's right, Jayje - I couldn't keep them away," Emily said from the doorway, holding a sleeping Henry in her arms. "Little man here fell asleep while waiting for you, but we kept him entertained. Not as much as Reid would, but..." JJ let out a laugh.

"Well, thanks for trying, Em," she said, pulling away from her two daughters' embrace to exchange a soft kiss with her brunette lover. "Glad you managed."

"That I did," Emily whispered lovingly. "Welcome back."

 **~ The Following Afternoon ~**

" _Orchestrated suicide?_ " Emily repeated, as JJ explained to her and the girls the rest of the details of the case. Henry had been put down for a nap.

"Exactly that. The saddest part was that this unsub was a _teenager_ , just like his victims. He just... _coaxed_ them into it," JJ sighed, shaking her head. "All the more reason that I just _could not_ say 'no' to this case. I literally _begged_ Hotch to let us take it. Because, deep down, I _knew_ that some teenagers in the exact same neighborhood who just... decide to commit suicide on the exact same time on a Friday night could _not_ have been pure coincidence." JJ let an exhausted sigh escape her lips, as she ran a hand through her smooth golden locks. "Don't get me wrong; I'm glad we caught him, but... I just know that this case is one that'll stick with me for quite a while." JJ gave a sad smile over to Emily. "I'm sure you know why, Em..." Emily was about to ask, but her eyes darted to JJ's fingers just fidgeting with her necklace. Then, it hit her.

"Oh, JJ..." she sighed, lacing her fingers with her blonde lover's. Kallie and Kenzie looked at each other, still somewhat confused.

"You see this necklace, girls?" JJ asked, slightly holding up the heart pendant of her necklace.

"Yeah..."

"My sister, Rosaline, had given this to me when I was eleven... Kenzie's age. She had just come into my bedroom one afternoon, and... told me that no matter what happened, she loved me." The sisters smiled softly at the thought of an eleven year old JJ. "This was her favorite necklace... so, I told her I couldn't take it, but... she insisted. And, I, of course, being the little sister, was secretly _very_ happy because I had always wanted one just like hers," she chuckled, but could feel her throat closing as she continued the story. "The following morning, my parents' screaming woke me up. And, I don't know know how, but my feet had just... led me over to the bathroom in the hallway, and... she was..." JJ could feel herself losing her composure, but to regain it, she took in a shaky breath. "She was... in the bathtub, and... her arm was... dangling out of it. She was holding my Dad's razor in her hand." She could see the fear in her daughters' eyes. "Her wrists were slit."

Kallie let out a gasp, her hand flying to her lips. Kenzie's mouth was slightly agape, but no words had escaped her lips.

"She had committed suicide," Emily concluded, her voice low at the memory of JJ telling her the story years before.

"Mom... I-I'm so sorry," Kallie whispered.

"Wait... how old was... your sister, Mom?" Kenzie asked. "Didn't you say _you_ were my age?" JJ nodded, and looked deeply at Kallie.

"She was your age, Kal," she croaked, her voice barely above a whisper. Kallie's hazel eyes slowly looked down in disbelief.

"My age...?" she whispered.

"Exactly 17," JJ confirmed. "See, girls, there's a reason why I just... _could not_ give up on you, no matter what Hotch threw at me." The sisters furrowed their brows, as their mother chuckled. "This may sound a little strange, but... I've felt like I've seen... myself and Rosaline in the two of you." She smiled softly toward Kallie. "I see how Ros would've been when I look at you, Kaelyn." Then at Kenzie. "... and I see how I was when I look at you, Mackenzie. Avid soccer player, looked up to her big sister so much. And, more than anything, you _both_ cherish each other as if you're each others' lifelines. That, in itself, was just something that I just... couldn't walk away from when we first met you two." The girls smiled sweetly at their mother.

"Thanks, Mom," Kallie whispered.

"That means a lot," Kenzie added. The blonde took their hands in her own, and gave them a gentle squeeze.

"But... I'm not the only one with a reason for taking you two." JJ looked over at Emily. "Mama Em has a reason, as well." The sisters looked over at Emily.

"You do, Mama Em?" Kenzie asked.

"What is it?"

"Well, long story short, I've... actually always wanted kids. Being an advocate for them, when I had represented you both in the trial against your uncle, and having prior experience with cases involving children, I guess I had developed a love for them while on the field." Emily cleared her throat. "But, I guess you could say that there's a little more to it than that." She took a deep breath. "I had moved around a lot, because of my Mother's postings, being an Ambassador. It was... hard for me to fit in, and, at 15, that's pretty much _all_ you want. You'd do almost anything... including getting pregnant." The girls' eyes widened like saucers. "I didn't know what to do. I couldn't tell my Mom. At that point in my life, the only person I confided in with my pregnancy was my good friend, Matthew."

"Was he the father?" Kallie asked.

"No," Emily said, shaking her head. "But, he had suggested that I talk with our priest, Father Gamino."

"And what did _he_ say?" Kenzie inquired.

"He said that, if I had aborted the baby, that I wasn't welcome in the congregation." Kallie let out a scoff. "Over the next few weeks, Matthew had found a doctor, took me there... stayed with me..." Emily could feel her voice breaking at the memory of her good friend helping her all those years ago. "That Sunday, when we had returned to Rome... he held my hand and... walked me into the church. Father Gamino had actually _stopped_ his sermon." She chuckled at the memory. "Matthew told me to hold my head up, and we... walked up to the front pew."

"What did Father Gamino do?"

"He and Matthew just, kinda... _stared_ at each other. It was like a battle of wills, and... and then, just like that, Father Gamino went back to his sermon," she sniffled. "Matthew saved my life. But, at the same time... I had lived with that guilt of... aborting the child, and... still carry it with me to this day." She held a pause. "That's why, when I look at you both, girls, I feel... _fulfilled_ that I finally get to live up to the title of... a mother," She smiled as the tears slipped freely down her cheeks. JJ gently took her fiancé's hand, as the girls smiled at their older mother.

"So, you're saying that... we've filled your void, pretty much," Kallie clarified. Emily laughed through her tears.

"Yeah. That's exactly it," she said, taking Kallie's hands in her own.

"You know, girls," JJ jumped in. "They say that angels can guide you to the people you're destined to meet." She gripped her necklace. "And... I think that Ros... may have guided me to you, Kallie."

"And... Matthew may have guided me to you, Kenzie." The two girls could feel the tear welling up in their eyes, as they laughed a little at their mothers' theory.

"Maybe," Kallie inquired. "But, angels or not, I'm just glad it was you that we came across. Our saviors. Our mothers." She hugged JJ and Emily, Kenzie joining in.

"We love you, Mom. Mama Em," Kenzie said tearfully.

"We love you, too, girls," JJ whispered.

"Always and forever." Emily added.


	18. Check-up

~ Local Hospital ~

As JJ and Emily had promised, they would get Kallie checked for her well-being during the time that she stayed with her uncle. However, today, they were in the psychiatric ward. Being profilers, the two Agents could recognize hyperactivity _fuming_ from the teen. At this state, Kallie was jumping at every loud noise, every raised voice, and her nightmares were consistent, night after night.

Kallie, one night, had almost hit Kenzie over the head, being too caught up in one of her nightmares, but JJ and Emily had swooped in before the worst could happen.

Since then, the two Agents have been switching off from their bedroom to the guest room every night, just to make sure both the girls were safe.

Kallie was getting assessed, while the two Agents, Kenzie and Henry were in the waiting room. Emily was nipping at her fingernails, her nervous habit kicking in, while glancing over at Kenzie and Henry. Kenzie was reading a book to the toddler. JJ was some distance away, on the phone with Hotch.

"Yeah, so, now, we're all just waiting on the results from the psych eval," the blonde explained to her supervisor.

 _"Well, you could've brought Henry here. Jack's been dying to see him."_ JJ laughed through the line.

"Well, ever since these girls came into our lives, Henry's been sticking to them like glue. He really loves the time with them, and they're really good with him, too."

 _"That's good."_ There was an eerie pause on the line. _"JJ, you there?"_

JJ let out a sigh. "Hotch, I just... Look, we all know that there's a sure-fire chance that Kallie's gonna walk out of here with PTSD. Emily and I are gonna be with her round the clock; we won't even get to do _half_ our job!"

 _"JJ. Do you remember that local bank bombing? Henry was taken hostage, and we were on our way over to your house? You were blaming yourself for what was happening, and I told you that you were doing your job. You said you were a Mom, I said you were also a Federal Agent. What did you say to me then?"_ JJ was quiet on the line, but Hotch pushed. _"JJ,_ what _did you say to me?"_

"... I'm a Mom first."

 _"Exactly. JJ, right now, you need to go with that perspective. Kallie, Kenzie and Henry all need you right now. As a fellow parent, I'm able to tell the difference between being a father and a Federal Agent. At this point in your life, don't even think about that boundary. Be there for your child. Right now, you're a Mom first."_

"Have I ever told you I sometimes hate it when you're right?" JJ joked, as Hotch laughed through the line.

 _"Get used to it, Jareau,"_ he played back. _"I'll let you go. Good luck."_

"Thanks for everything, Aaron."

 _"Anytime, Jennifer."_

The two hung up, and JJ made her way back to where Emily was sitting. Emily stopped nipping at her nails as JJ gently took her hand in her own. Kenzie went over to Emily and curled up to her, Henry going over and curling up to JJ.

"What did Hotch say?"

"Pretty much just... gave me a pep talk. Told me to just... basically prioritize Kallie at this point, and don't even think about the job." Emily nodded, understanding.

"Well, he's right. That's all we can do at this point. I mean, once that diagnosis comes..." The blonde profiler let out a sigh.

"No second-guessing."

"No turning back," Emily added.

"Can't change the diagnosis."

Suddenly, a female doctor had walked up to them, with Kallie trailing slowly behind her, the teen's head low, her posture slouching. JJ and Emily stood up, as Kallie was silent went she went over to sit down next to her sister and Henry.

"Agents Prentiss and Jareau?" JJ and Emily flashed their badges. "I'm Dr. Wilson. From what I can tell, Kaelyn has very much been exhibiting obvious signs of Post-Traumatic Stress. Everything you told us fits, Agent Jareau. The recurring nightmares, which are slowly turning into night _terrors_ , which are _highly_ dangerous," she explained. "Now, because of Kaelyn's hyperactivity, I'd highly advise _against_ medication. It'd do more harm than good to her already unstable body." Emily and JJ looked at each other, their expressions downcast.

"So, what do you suggest we do, then, Dr. Wilson?" JJ asked gently.

"Well, for right now, it'd probably be best that she do one of two things. See a psychiatrist, or attend a support group. Whichever you choose will - in time - help her condition. All she really needs is time, because for someone her age, being diagnosed with PTSD is almost unlikely." JJ and Emily furrowed their brows. "I mean, you know that the most common demographic of PTSD is..."

"War vets," Emily described, remembering that a war vet, and victim of PTSD was standing right beside her. JJ began to fidget as little flashes of her time in Afghanistan popped into her head.

"I'm assuming one of you is a war vet?" Dr. Wilson inquired.

"Me," JJ whispered. "Afghanistan. Whew, not pretty," she shuddered at the dark memory.

"Well, Agent Jareau, I'm sure you'll be able to help Kaelyn through this." JJ took Emily's hand.

"We _both_ will, Doctor."

"I've compiled a list of the best _female_ PTSD specialists and psychiatrists in Virginia," she said, handing Emily the list she had written down. "Kaelyn mentioned androphobia, so I made sure to look for females only. Now, as for the support groups, the leaders themselves may be female, but the members... whew, it varies. Race, gender, age, the list is endless. But, I wouldn't _strongly_ advise against support groups, but... it's whatever you, as her parents, think is best for her." JJ gratefully took Dr. Wilson's hands in her own.

"Thank you so much, Doctor, this'll be a great help."

"You're welcome, Agents. And if anything, _anything_ , comes up with Kaelyn, don't hesitate to call it in." The two Agents gave a polite nod, as Dr. Wilson walked off. JJ cast a worried glance over to their eldest daughter. Emily glanced down at the list in her hand.

"Guess we'll have to look through that list," JJ said, hushed.

"Yeah."

"How much longer do you think it's gonna be before she can even _look_ at one of the guys?" JJ asked, referring to Spencer, Derek and Hotch.

"Lord knows how long, Jayje," Emily sighed, shrugging. "But, like Dr. Wilson said, all she needs is time."

JJ stared at the teen that was hunched over in her seat. Kallie had her head in her hands, and appeared to be exhausted. The blonde vowed to help her through her PTSD.

As for Emily, she decided that it would be her job to help Kallie adjust to the men on the team. Her relationships with the guys were in good standing, so she figured she could vouch for them, see if she could gain their trust.

One thing was for sure...

It was gonna be long shot.


	19. Adjustments

"Wait, so you're tellin' us that over the last ten years, Kallie has developed not _just_ PTSD, but a fear of _men_?" Derek asked incredulously.

It was a slow day at the BAU. No cases, just paperwork so far. Both JJ and Emily were there, but so were the girls and Henry. JJ discussed it with Hotch, so he had called both of them down there to debrief the adjustment plan for their daughter to the rest of the team.

"It's understandable," Penelope countered. "Any girl in Kallie's shoes would be scared out of her wits coming across _any_ grown man, threatening or not."

"Which is why Em and I have come up with a plan, that we think will, in due time, help our daughter's condition."

"To cope with the PTSD, JJ's gonna look into the psychiatrists and specialists that Dr. Wilson said may be able to help," Emily explained.

"Didn't she say there were support groups, too, though?" Spencer inquired.

"Yes, Spence. But, we can't be too careful, so it's best we cover all our bases."

"What are _you_ gonna do, Emily?" Derek asked, nodding over to his partner.

"Well, her job is gonna be to get Kallie into your guys' good graces - or vice versa, because, at this point, she didn't even so much as _glance_ in _any man's_ direction when we all walked in here today."

"Didn't you say these girls were religious as well?" Penelope chimed, as JJ nodded.

"Yeah, and we respect that; we don't question it."

"These girls go to church every Sunday, pray before eating, even before bed, and when they wake up in the morning," Emily explained.

"It really seems like they have a strong belief in God."

"How do you two feel about God?" Derek pressed. "Do you believe there _is_ one?" Emily and JJ looked at each other, before looking back at their team.

"When I had lost Ros, I had given up hope - that there was a God. I found myself praying every night, _just_ so he could bring her back to me. The usual thing that a child would beg from God. That 'I'd be good, I'd do more chores around the house, I wouldn't fight with Mommy anymore,' I _just_ wanted Rosaline back." The blonde profiler gave a shrug. "Then, when I knew my prayers just... _weren't_ being answered, no matter how hard I prayed, I just... gave up." She looked over to the top of the bullpen to see Kallie and Kenzie casually looking around in her office. She smiled softly at the scene. "But, now, I guess... I guess that hope has... been revived, now that these girls came into our lives." She looked over at Emily and gently took her hand in her own.

"It was exactly the same with me," Emily added. "At one point, I had questioned it, but now... Now, I'm beginning to believe."

"And speaking of which, Kallie wants us to narrow our search down to all-female, _Christian_ support groups if she doesn't agree to a psychiatrist," JJ added.

"I mean, at least it's narrowed down, so we won't be blindsiding this," Emily commented.

"But, back to the issue at hand, who of these three gentlemen is gonna approach Kallie first?" Penelope asked quietly.

"I say Pretty Boy should do it," Derek said, gazing at Spencer, the other BAU members following his gaze. Spencer glances around absentmindedly.

"Wha- why me?"

"C'mon, kid, think about it," Derek pressed. "You've a good-standing relationship with JJ, who Kallie has already grown very much attached to, as well as Henry, and you're the kids Godfather. And to top it all off, you're just... the least menacing looking out of the three of us." Spencer opened his mouth for a rebuttal, but no words escaped his lips. His female colleagues all bit back giggles, as Spencer gave a defeated sigh.

"Alright, fine. I'll do it," he gave up, leaning in closer as he sat at his desk. "So, what's the plan, JJ?"

"Emily's got that," the blonde replied, giving her fiancé a sly smirk, as Emily smiled back playfully.

"Okay, so here's what's gonna happen..."

 **~ The Following Morning (KALLIE'S POV) ~**

"Kallie. Honey, wake up."

I hear a soft voice tickling my ear as I let out a soft moan and peek my eyes open. I roll over on my back to see Mama Em, smiling softly down at me.

"Morning, Mama Em," I said sleepily.

"Morning, Kal," she whispers, gently brushing the hair out of my face with her nimble fingers. I stare at her beautiful brown eyes, and let my lips curve into a sleepy smile and I sit up out of bed, running a tired hand through my unruly locks. "Your Mom and I are going out tonight, since..."

"You haven't had a night alone since the two of us," I finished with a yawn, stretching my arms out. Mama Em laughed.

"You make it sound like we're blaming you."

"Well, no, it's just... I mean, it's true," I defended as my brunette mother shrugged. "So, what _is_ your guys' plan for date night, anyway?"

"Well, we're leaving at 7pm, but I had called ahead on someone, just in case your Mom would forget." I raised my eyebrows.

"Who?"

"Do you remember Dr. Spencer Reid?" Mama Em asked gently, tucking my hair behind my ear as I nod. "He's gonna be looking after you three, and honey, all I ask of you is that you... try and get to know him." My eyes went down. "Honey... your Mom and I came up with a plan, dealing with your... well, your..."

"Fear of men."

"Yes, that. And Agent Reid is the first step to that plan." My eyes went back to look up at my mother. "Baby, please believe me when I say that your Mom and I only want what's best for you. But we can't give you that unless you just... trust us." She placed a kiss on my forehead. "Now, I want you to get yourself ready, and I'll go introduce you to him, okay, sweet girl?" I gave a shy nod as she embraced me softly. "That's my baby." She patted my fisted hand, got up from my bedside and walked out the door as I let a soft smile curve my lips.

 _Well, here goes everything..._

 **~ Living Room (NORMAL POV) ~**

Kallie exited her bedroom, and saw Spencer at the end of the hallway, showing Henry a coin magic trick. The scrawny profiler looked up from his godson's gaze, and smiled toward the teen.

"Good morning, Kaelyn," he said and offered his hand. "Don't believe we've properly met. Dr. Spencer Reid." Kallie awkwardly shifted, staring at his hand.

"My Mom told me you don't shake hands. You're a germaphobe," she said quietly, as JJ snickered behind them. Spencer bit back a chuckle.

"Well, you're an exception." Kallie's eyes still stared at his hand. "C'mon, I don't bite," he encouraged. The teen's eyes shifted from his hand to his sincere eyes, until she slowly reached out her hand and took Spencer's in her own. "That's more like it."

"Breakfast is nearly ready, baby," JJ said. "Spence, can you grab the glasses from the cupboard? Lend a hand?"

"Sure, Jayje."

As Spencer went over to the cupboard, JJ wrapped her arm around her daughter's waist from behind. The woman gently rubbed her shoulders.

"You're too tense," she whispered as Kallie's eyes looked down nervously. "Mama Em already told you. You have two more men to win over. And we're here to help you with that. You're just gonna have to go with this, baby girl." She gave Kallie a peck on the cheek.

"Okay," the teen whispered, as JJ hugged her from behind, squeezing.

"There's my baby."

JJ went over to the dining table, Spencer seated across from Henry. Kenzie came over and hugged the Agent.

"Uncle Spence, hi!"

"Morning, Kenzie," Spencer replied with a smile as the young girl took her seat next to her sister's. Kallie viewed the sight tentatively, and gave a sigh, letting her shoulders relax. _Kal, will you_ relax _already? You're letting_ one guy _get to you._ "Kallie, come take a seat," Spencer urged.

"Uh, yeah... sure," Kallie whispered, going over to her seat next to her sister. JJ looked at the sight, quickly taking note of the nerves building up inside her daughter.

 _Spence, please don't let me down. And Kallie... you can do this. I know it._

 _A mother knows._


	20. Uncle Spence

~ 7:00pm. ~

"Henry, Kenzie, Mamas are leaving! Where're our hugs?" JJ called out into the hallway, as their two youngest children came racing towards the door. Henry squeezed JJ's legs as she lifted him up in her arms. "Bye, baby," she whispered, pecking her son's lips.

"Bye bye, Mommy," he replied sweetly.

"Bye, munchkin," Emily said, hugging Kenzie.

"Later, Mama Em! Have fun!"

JJ put Henry down and went over to Kallie.

"You sure you're gonna be fine?" The teen shrugged.

"We'll see."

The blonde gave a soft smile, and gently rubbed the teen's shoulder. She looked over at Spencer.

"Thanks again for doing this, Spence. Means a lot."

"Don't mention it, JJ," he replied, going over to hug her. She held the embrace for a few seconds before pulling away. Spencer then made his way over to Emily, holding his fist out for her to bump.

"Thanks, Reid," she said, smiling as she bumped his fist and he nodded.

"You kids be good for Uncle Spence, alright?" JJ said to her three children.

"Yes, Ma'am!"

~ One Hour Later ~

Kallie was casually reading in the guest room, sitting on a beanie bag, when she heard a knock on the bedroom door.

"Come in," she said softly.

"Hey, Kallie."

The teen looked up from her book to see Spencer standing over her, smiling awkwardly.

"Hi," she whispered, going back to her book. The Agent shifted, and crouched down to her level.

"Listen, Kaelyn. You've already gotten past shaking my hand. You wanna try and see if we can... I don't know, actually... get a conversation going?" Kallie casually closed the book, and folded her hands together.

"Sorry if I'm a little awkward about this. I mean..." She bit her lip. "I really don't wanna be, but... I'm just not used to this..." Spencer nodded.

"Which is completely understandable. But... you're gonna have to branch out of that shell sometime," he urged as Kallie slowly nodded. "Tell you what. I have some playing cards with me. Have you ever played poker?" She fidgeted with her hands.

"No, but... I've kinda been wanting to learn," she said shyly. Spencer slipped his cards out of his pocket.

"Well, here's your chance," he said playfully, and winked. Kallie let out a soft laugh as he stood up, reaching his hand out to her. "C'mon, it'll be fun."

Kallie hesitantly took his hand and he helped her up. He pulled her out of the room, through the hallway, and into the living room. They sat down on the floor, either side of the coffee table.

"So... what can we bet?" Kallie asked.

"Well, obviously, not money, since your Moms would kill me," he chuckled, glancing at the teen's inching smile.

"Watcha guys' playin'?" Kenzie asked, scampering out of the hallway bathroom.

"Poker," Kallie answered simply, glancing to see Henry coming over.

"Can we play, Uncle Spence?" the toddler asked excitedly, as Spencer chuckled.

"How 'bout you guys get us some potato chips for us to bet instead?"

"Potato chips?"

"Yeah, 'cause we can't use money."

Kenzie gave a shrug and stepped over to the kitchen to grab a bag of chips from the pantry. Henry waddled over and sat next to Spencer.

"My Moms tell me you're the best out of the team at this," Kallie tested, as Spencer shuffled the cards. "Well, Mama Em beat you, and you pretty much _let_ Mom win." The teen let her lips curve into a full-fledged, beautiful smile and laughed at Spencer's mouth agape. "If letting our Mom win was your way of flirting with her, then you're a few years too late, Uncle Spencer."

"Oh, you are _on_ , little missy!"

~ 11:30pm. ~

"Ready to see how it went?" JJ asked Emily as they were at the door of their apartment.

"As ready as you are."

The two Agents inched their way inside, and heard Kallie's laughing from the kitchen. JJ walked over to find Kallie chatting with Spencer, laughing happily.

"Looks like you two had a good time," JJ said.

"Mom! Mama Em!" Kallie exclaimed, going over to hug JJ. The blonde lovingly wrapped her arms around her daughter. "Tonight was actually kinda fun. Uncle Spencer's great!" the teen said, as JJ laughed softly.

"Good for you, baby."

"We could do this another time, if you'd like," Emily offered, as Kallie went over to hug her as well.

"Let's not rush into it, Em," JJ countered. "She's still got two more to go, after all." Kallie shifted awkwardly.

"Who am I meeting next...?"

"Derek."

"He's... one of your guys' toughest Agents, right, Mom?"

JJ, Emily, even Spencer could tell how nervous she was to meet Derek.

JJ went over and put a comforting hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"He's pretty much what we consider a gentle giant, Kallie. Tough on the outside, but a real softie on the inside. He shows that side with Penelope, even while we're out in the field."

"He's a real gentleman when he wants to be," Emily added.

"Your Moms are right on point, Kallie. I sometimes even consider him an older brother."

Hearing these words from her mothers and Uncle made her shoulders relax a little. Kallie took a breath and let it out.

"If you guys can vouch for him that much, then... I guess I can give... Uncle Derek a chance."

"That's my girl," the two female Agents said together, and went over to hug their daughter.

"You won't regret it, Kallie, trust me," Spencer reassured the teen, as he made his way to the front door.

"You're leaving, Uncle Spence?" the teen asked, pulling away from her mothers.

"It's pretty late, Kallie."

Suddenly, Kallie went over to hug her scrawny uncle.

"Thanks for an awesome night," she whispered.

"Anytime, kiddo."

JJ and Emily both looked at each other, giving the other a high-five.

 _One down, two more to go._


	21. Uncle Derek

Kallie tiredly opened her eyes, waking herself up, and noticed that the blanket wasn't on her.

Then, it hit her.

She checked her phone for the temperature outside. 93 degrees...

The teen let out an exhausted groan, and turned over back in bed. She was about to close her eyes shut again, before she felt a slight nudge to her shoulder.

"Hey, Kal, you slept in, little missy," her mother whispered soothingly and gently kissed her temple. "You missed breakfast." The teen groaned and turned back over to be greeted by JJ's crystal blue eyes.

"What time is it?"

"11:15."

"Ugh, and it's 93 out there?" Kallie complained, and JJ let out a laugh. "It's just _way_ too hot right now."

"Which is _why_ Mama Em and I have a big day planned for you guys, and it includes the team."

"What are we doing?" Kallie asked, sitting up out of bed.

"We are having a 'water day' at Uncle Hotch's place this afternoon. Water balloon fights, sprinklers, water guns, and he has a pool." The teen gave a tired smile at their plans.

"Sounds great. We could really use it."

"Well, then, you better get ready, because we're leaving in an hour," JJ said, placing a hand on her daughter's shoulder, before leaving the room. Kallie gave a tired sigh, and rubbed the sand out of her eyes before stretching her arms up, and getting out of bed to prepare for the day.

As the family of five drove over to Hotch's place, JJ couldn't stop glancing over at her eldest adopted daughter from the rearview mirror. Maybe it was just the blonde's imagination, but the teen always looked like she had something on her mind.

But, then again, she is a teenager.

 _And, if something was bothering her, she would tell me... right?_

As they pulled up near Hotch's driveway, they could hear music blasting from the backyard. And JJ recognized a certain little boy's voice squealing and laughing.

 _Oh, Jack..._

"Hey, look who's here!" Derek exclaimed, clad in his swim trunks, and glistening from the water dripping down his body. He noticed Kallie look down nervously. "Hey, Kal, good to see ya," he said softly.

"Uhm... good to see you, too... Uncle Derek," she replied shyly.

"Hey, everybody, come on in!" Hotch exclaimed, letting the Prentiss-Jareau family into the backyard, where they were greeted with the sunshine, and cool air from the pool and all the water splashing around.

"Henry!" Jack exclaimed, going over to the toddler. "I challenge you to a water gun duel!" He pulled out a Nerf water gun, and handed another to Henry.

"You're on!" Henry slipped his t-shirt off, and ran off near the pool with Jack, clad in his swimming trunks.

"I'll let you know when we're ready to eat, sweetie!" JJ called after her son.

"'Kay, Mommy!"

She smiled over at the two boys and turned her attention to her two girls. Kallie was spraying sun block onto Kenzie's back, both the girls clad in their swimsuits.

"Okay, kiddo," Kallie said to her younger sister. "You're all set."

"You're not going in the pool, Sissy?" Kallie gave a look to JJ, who was quietly talking to Derek, and smiled softly back at her younger sister.

"Not yet, I might just sit and relax for a little bit before going in." Kenzie shifted awkwardly, but Kallie reassured her. "Go and have some fun, squirt. Shoot around with the boys or something!" she urged. "I'll catch up with you soon enough."

"... Okay."

~ JJ ~

"Alright, you feelin' okay, Derek?"

"Whew, to be honest, Jayje, I don't think I've ever been this nervous," the gruff FBI Agent admitted. JJ playfully rolled her eyes.

"C'mon, Derek, just..." she bit her lip in concentration. "Just be the Derek Morgan that's outside the office." Derek furrowed his brow. "Show off that 'sexy 'n' silly baby boy' charm that Penelope always talks about," she added jokingly, giving a wink as Derek playfully nudged her. "I'm counting on you, big guy."

He was two steps from walking off from JJ before turning back.

"Hey, you owe me for this, Pennsylvania Petite!" he teased, as the blonde Agent let out a stifled laugh.

"Sure, next round of drinks is on me!"

Derek gave a sigh and slowly, but surely made his way over to the lounge chair next to Kallie. The teen was relaxing, borderline dozing off, when she peeked her eyes open to see Derek coming over.

"Hi, Uncle Derek," she said softly, sitting up.

"Hey, there, Kal." He got a good look at her figure. She was pretty slim for seventeen. "Workin' on your tan, eh?" he joked, trying so hard not to fail at getting into her good graces. Kallie just replied with a soft smile and shrug. "Look, kid, don't make this anymore awkward than it needs to be. Can't ya loosen up just a little?"

Kallie gave a laugh.

"You don't have to treat me like one of your 'baby girls', Uncle Derek," she joked as the Agent furrowed his brow. "I'm... I'll admit, I'm still getting used to this, but... I've... loosened up a bit from spending some time with Uncle Spencer." Derek gave an understanding nod.

"That's a step in the right direction there, little missy." Kallie smiled softly at his words.

 _I guess they were right. He is a bit of "gentle giant."_

"Thanks, Uncle Derek."

"... What for?" he asked, as she grinned.

"For being you."

Derek gave a laugh, flashing that classic smile of his, when suddenly...

"You're wide open, Uncle Derek!" Jack exclaimed, and squirted him with the Nerf gun head-on. Derek screamed out, and Kallie squealed as she got sprinkled on from the attack.

"You're next, Sissy!" Kenzie jumped in, aiming her Nerf gun at her older sister. "You've relaxed enough!"

"Haha, oh, have I?" Kallie shot back playfully.

Kenzie, Jack and Henry all waited the teen's response. Kallie looked over at Derek, who in turn, smirked playfully.

"Tag team?" he urged.

"Tag team," Kallie giggled, getting up off the lounge chair. "Alright, munchkins..."

"Y'all are 'bout to see what your Uncle Derek and Big Sis Kallie are made of."

~ JJ ~

The blonde laughed as she saw Kallie playfully wrap her arms around Henry from behind.

"Looks like they're hitting it off fairly quickly," Spencer commented, and smiled to her. "Kaelyn's a good girl, isn't she?"

"Well, Spence, if one thing's for sure... she certainly has come out of this as the strongest teen I've known."


	22. Uncle Hotch

Another slow day at the BAU means another day that Emily and JJ could bring the girls and Henry into the office. Spencer was showing some magic tricks to Henry, and Emily was teaching Kenzie some French. Penelope and Derek were just fooling around, being their usual goofy selves.

Amidst all of the casualty, JJ and Kallie were standing outside Hotch's office. The teen had let out a very audible sigh.

"You made it this far, Kaelyn. Don't turn back on me now," the blonde urged.

"Mom, it's not that. I guess I'm just... _relieved_ that I've made it through this," Kallie lamented, as JJ smiled proudly and gave her a pat on the back. "I'll have to thank Mama Em for this idea." JJ playfully nudged her.

"Hey, I happened to help with all of this, too. Don't leave another mother out." Kallie let a giggle escape her lips.

"Oh, I know that better than anyone," she teased. Her expression then turned gentle as she smiled sweetly. "Really, Mom, I... can't thank you — either of you — enough for all of this." She gave JJ a quick peck on the cheek. "I love you, Mom."

"Ohh, I love you, too, Kallie," she replied, squeezing her daughter tight. Once she let go, she gently squeezed Kallie's shoulder, before knocking on Hotch's door and opening it, letting her daughter enter shyly.

"Kaelyn," Hotch greeted as the teen sat down on the seat across from him.

"Hi, Uncle Hotch."

"You're the last on the list, Hotch," JJ teased.

"Looks like it."

JJ looked back over to her eldest daughter.

"Kallie, I'll be in the bullpen if you need me. Are you gonna be okay?"

"I'll be _fine_ , Mom," the teen insisted, smiling softly over to Hotch as he returned a gentle smile.

"She's in good hands at the moment, JJ," Hotch assured.

"Okay..." JJ quietly closed the door, and looked through the glass of Hotch's office. "You did good, Kallie. Congratulations," she whispered to herself.

~ Kallie and Hotch ~

"So... why don't you tell me a little about you, Kallie?"

"Haven't my Moms told you just about everything?" Kallie rebutted.

"Ah, well, that's not entirely true, because, remember, they adopted you."

"Ah... right," Kallie lamented.

What else would there be for him to know? Pretty much the whole team knew her deepest, darkest secret, so what more was there to tell? Kallie didn't exactly have the most exciting of lives, especially with what she had gone through. How would she answer Hotch's question?

"You can start off by telling me your hobbies," Hotch offered.

"Uhm... c-can I ask you something, first?" Kallie asked, softly.

"Go ahead."

The teen nervously wrung her hands, trying to come up with the rights words to say. She licked her lips before continuing.

"My Mom... she's told me... well, your guys' stories. Uncle Spencer is... basically borderline schizophrenic..." Hotch nodded in agreement. "Aunt Penelope was pretty much... _recruited_ by you guys from just... hacking into the system of this place." Kallie chuckled as Hotch joined in.

"Yeah, that was... I'm amazed at what she can uncover with that mind of hers." Kallie continued on.

"And Uncle Derek..." She let out a bitter chuckle. "Turns out he was molested, too... like me." She breathed in gently, and let it out shakily. "Apparently, the guy was... someone that the town knew and... most of the kids, even Uncle Derek, looked up to. Until one day, the guy just... went off on him — did his job."

Hotch remembered when Derek finally decided to confront Carl Buford. The superior had learned that day that even the smooth, tough, Derek Morgan, had a past. A past that he had tried _so_ hard to keep from the rest of the team. Until, eventually, a case had come up where he had to let that past go free.

"And you... you lost your wife." Hitch's eyes went down. "Jack lost his mother. And on top of all of that... she was killed by someone that you guys had been chasing for... quite a while, if I'm correct."

"You're right on," Hotch lamented.

"... How have you managed all this? Don't you ever just... miss her so much that it hurts to even mention her name?" Kallie urged. Hitch pursed his lips together before responding.

"Jack and I visit her grave once in a while." He awaited a response from the teen. When none came, he went on. "We talk about her, and remember all the good times we had with her, but we..." He stopped himself. "... _I_ can never forget that day." Kallie nodded. "I haven't been able to forget that day, but... I've been able to remember that... I have a son. A son that... gives me the hope that I need to move on. Haley and I raised Jack for a good amount of years. If I lost him... i-it'd be like losing a part of, not just Haley, but... myself as well." He placed his hands on his desk. "Kaelyn... I want to listen closely, alright?" Kallie nodded. "... We all have our own Hell. We all have our demons. For some, it can take time to get rid of those demons. For others, like yourself, it feels as though... your demons are... a part of you that you just can't seem to let go of." The teen could feel the lump forming in her throat, as a single tear rolled down her cheek. She didn't bother to wipe it away. She just nodded. "You were suffering for a hellish amount of years, and I can tell you right now, what you and your sister went through is anything but fair." Kallie let out a whimper as her lips trembled. " _But_... there's always a light at the end of every tunnel. The darkness that experienced... JJ and Emily are the light at the end of that ten-year tunnel." Kallie laughed at that, and the smallest of a smile creeped onto her lips. "So is the rest of the team." He slipped his hands across the desk to intertwine them with Kallie's soft, nimble hands. "I want you to promise me something, okay, Kallie?" She slowly nodded. "Promise me that... no matter how hard things will get... no matter how hopeless and lost you feel... that you'll never give up. Promise me that you won't be stuck in that dark tunnel. Promise me that if you get lost in that tunnel... that you'll come running towards the light. We'll always be calling out for you. JJ, Emily, everyone. Even Jack and Henry and _especially_ your sister." Kallie let her tears roll freely down her cheeks, and sobbed softly. "Can you promise me that?"

"I promise," she sobbed. "I promise..."

"Good," Hotch smiled, and stood up from his desk, as Kallie went around and wrapped her arms around his body as he did the same with her small figure.

"Thank you... Thank you, Uncle Hotch!" she sobbed happily.


	23. Godly Girls

Emily, JJ, Kallie, Kenzie and Henry all pulled up to park near the front of the support group facility that Kallie was going to attend. Kallie, from the passenger seat, could see the amount of people coming in and out of the building. JJ noticed this and put a hand on her shoulder.

"You ready for this, hon?"

"Whew, to be honest, Mom, Mama Em... not really." The blonde Agent gave her daughter's shoulder a squeeze, following a comforting smile.

"Sweetie, I know you'll do great at this place. This specific facility was _really_ hard to find, so we looked all over... all for you." She gently bopped the teen's nose with her finger. "It'll all be worth it, trust me."

"And it's completely normal to be nervous," Emily added as Kallie looked back out the window.

"You'll be fine, Sis!" Kenzie encouraged.

"You can do it, Kallie!" Henry added.

Kallie looked at the backseat where Emily and her brother and sister were, and smiled softly before leading her eyes back out the window. JJ slid her hand from Kallie's shoulder down to her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"We're all behind you 110%, baby," she whispered as she gently placed a kiss on the teen's temple. "And if ever you decide to change your mind, we're just a phone call away — just say the word and we'll stop everything and try for a Plan B."

Kallie couldn't believe the dedication that Emily and JJ had put into everything since they had met each other that night. From putting her heinous uncle behind bars, to dedicating _their own_ time and money to finding the right support for her. She was truly blessed.

After a moment, the teen let out a laugh.

"I just... can't believe how far you're both willing to go for us. Sometimes, I wonder what we did to deserve you two." She smiled softly over to her two younger siblings and her other mother.

"Well, sweetheart, I think it's — in your words — by God's grace that the five of us came together," JJ replied, thinking back on the last few months.

"We're family, Kaelyn," Emily added. "It's what families do."

Kallie gently embraced her blonde mother.

"I know I've only said this about a million times already, but... thank you, Mom, Mama Em, for everything," she said softly, as JJ lovingly returned her daughter's warm embrace.

"We'll never get tired of hearing that, sweet girl," she replied, giving another kiss to Kallie's temple. As they pulled away, JJ peeked over the teen's shoulder. "Em, will you guys be okay here? We have to go in now."

"Of course, Jayje."

JJ placed her hands on Kallie's shoulders.

"It's now or never, baby. Are you ready?" The teen let her shoulders rise and fall as she let out a breath, giving a nod.

"I'm ready."

~ Inside the Facility ~

As they entered the facility, one of the things Kallie noticed was that it was fairly small.

 _One floor, huh?_

The overall atmosphere seemed like that of a normal elementary school.

She looked around at some of the motivational posters with quotes. Some of the posters were even made by some of the kids at the facility.

She suddenly spotted a young girl who looked to be about her age, passing by one of the posters, near the water fountain. She glanced over to Kallie and smiled softly, acknowledging her. Kallie lent a soft smile back over to her.

"Kallie!" JJ said, calling her daughter over.

"Yeah?" Kallie looked back over to the water fountain, and saw that the girl from a moment ago had already walked off. Kallie just shrugged it off and went over to her mother. "Sorry, just took a look around," she said, as JJ pulled her close.

"This is Linda Henderson, the lead supporter of the group that you're taking part in."

Kallie got a good look at the woman. She looked to be about in her early thirties. Dirty blonde, maybe 5''2, with hazel brown eyes. She looked like she would be something along the lines of an elementary school teacher. But, she looked like someone Kallie could trust.

Linda stretched her hand out.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kaelyn," she said sweetly as the teen reached her hand out as well.

"I prefer Kallie, actually, ma'am," she said softly.

"Oh, Kallie it is, then," she giggled softly, as Kallie's smile slowly stretched. Linda seemed... almost like JJ in a way. "Your Mom here has already filled out all the papers necessary for you to be a part of this place, so all you need is to introduce yourself in group, and I'm sure you'll fit right in!"

JJ placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"Do you want me to walk you in?"

Kallie bit down on her lip in thought, before shaking her head.

"No, Mom, it's okay — I've got this."

"Are you sure?" Kallie nodded in reply.

"I'll be fine." JJ nodded, and embraced her daughter and placed soft kisses in her hair, before pulling away.

"Call me once you're finished up here, okay?"

"Yes, Ma'am." JJ squeezed Kallie's shoulder before walking off. Kallie smiled softly after her, and looked back over to Linda. "So, what's it like here?"

Linda smiled and led her inside.

"Well, I'll tell you one thing, you were _very_ fortunate to be able to find this kind of support group, as there aren't very many like ours."

"And... there aren't any guys here?"

"There are groups here with both genders, but Godly Girls is the first and only all-female group — Christian, of course. Your mother was _very_ specific about what you requested."

Within minutes, they had reached the entrance to the "Godly Girls" support group. As described, the room was full of a good amount of young girls, casually mingling with each other. Then, there was a girl that caught her eye.

The same girl that was at the water fountain.

She was wearing a grey beanie and a cardigan of the same color. Her hair stopped just about at the middle of her back, and she had some fairly dark skin.

She was casually talking with two other girls, until she glanced over at Linda and Kallie, and waved over to Kallie. Kallie smiled back and returned the wave.

"This is quite a group you have here, Linda," Kallie complimented.

"You know what? It's still pretty early to get started, so why don't you go and mingle with some of the girls before group, hmm?" Kallie awkwardly shifted. "Don't be shy," Linda urged.

The teen let out a breath and walked inside and over to the girl that she saw earlier.

"Hi," Kallie let out, as the girl turned and smiled at her.

"Oh, hey. I saw you across from the water fountain, right? You came in with... was that your Mom?"

"Well... yeah, but... she adopted my sister and I." The girl outstretched her hand.

"I'm Melina Merrick," she introduced, as two other girls turned Kallie's way. "These are Allison Moore and Dylan Bliss."

"Nice to meet you all," Kallie replied, taking the three girls' hands and shaking them. "I'm Kaelyn Prentiss-Jareau, but you can call me Kallie."

"Great to meet you, Kallie," Dylan said.

"Welcome to Godly Girls," Allison added.


	24. Melina, Allison and Dylan

~ Godly Girls (In Group) ~

"We've a new friend joining us today, ladies," Linda rejoiced, as all the girls gathered. Kallie could feel her body tense, as she sat next to Melina, while Linda continued talking. She clenched her fists that sat on her thighs. Suddenly, Melina placed her hand on top of her closed hand.

"I can tell you're nervous."

"What gave that away?" Kallie quaked, as Melina could see her fists tremble. She tightened her grip, as Kallie timidly opened her hand, taking Melina's in her own.

"If it's any consolation," Melina empathized, "we're all here for the same reason — to get help. We all have our stories, our secrets, our demons. That's why we come here every week." Kallie let out a shaky breath, and Melina gave her hand a comforting squeeze. "That's the 'support' in 'support group', isn't it?" Kallie pursed her lips together. "Each of us have a shoulder to cry on." Melina gave her a slight smile. "If you want, I can be yours."

"That's a lot to say to a person you barely know." Melina laughed.

"Well, I'm about to learn more about you in a second," she said, nodding over to Linda.

"Kallie!" the woman called out over to the two teens. Kallie's head zipped towards her. "Care to introduce yourself?"

"Haven't you already told everyone my name?" Giggles were scattered across the room, as Kallie could feel her cheeks burning from the blush tinting them a bright red. Linda laughed along.

"Heh, well, _yes_ , but I'm sure everyone here is interested in your story." Kallie's eyes cast down at the floor, when Linda speaks up. "Ladies, what's our number one rule here at Godly Girls?" One of the girls raised her hand. "Shannon?"

"Telling your story is the first step to healing," Shannon recited.

"Exactly," Linda replied, nodding. She looked back over at Kallie, who was still trembling from the nerves building up inside her. The teen took a deep breath, letting her shoulders rise, and slowly let the breath pass through her lips, letting her shoulders drop. Another deep breath. Another release. "Take your time, sweetheart," Linda soothed.

Kallie glanced at Melina, who gave her a soft smile. Dylan and Allison, who sat beside Melina, gave Kallie a double thumbs-up.

Her chair slightly squeaked against the floor, as she stood up and staggers to the front of the room. As she inched closer, she could feel her heart racing. Her shoulders felt heavy. She nearly lost her footing, but held her own, trying tirelessly to keep her feet on the ground.

 _You can do this, Kallie. You can do this, Kallie._

She reached the front of the room, and she suddenly felt her stomach drop. Her hands got clammy, as she clasped them together, folding them. She swallowed hard. Her throat was dry. She cleared her throat, _twice_. One last deep breath and release later, she finally found the words to begin.

"Hi, everyone. My name's Kaelyn, but I go by Kallie." Her voice was shaky. She closed her eyes, and laughed slightly. "I'm the new kid, so I'm, uh... a-a little, uhm... nervous. Heh, can you tell?" She heard several chuckles, and went on. "I... I'm here... for a reason. I mean, I know we _all_ are, but... my reason isn't some _thing_." A pause. "Rather, it's some _one_. That someone... being... my uncle, Nathan." She fidgeted with her hands. "I have a younger sister, who I cherish more than _anything_. I would do anything for her. Including taking my Uncle's punches." Murmurs were heard throughout the room as she continued on. "I was... abused, _horribly_ , by my Uncle after my parents had passed away ten years ago in a car accident just _days_ after my sister, Mackenzie, was born. Uncle Nate... drank, _heavily_ , and... took his anger out on me. Not just anger of his brother and sister-in-law passing away, but just over the most... trifle things. Several bruises, scars, and scratches later, this pretty much... became routine." She could feel her throat closing, as she took in a shaky breath. "Until a year later, he had come into my room one evening. Drunk, as you'd expect. I was upset, missing my parents, the pain of never seeing them again finally kicking in after a year." Another deep breath. "First, he caressed my cheek. And then, his arm snaked down to my shoulder. I told him how much I missed my parents. 'I miss them everyday,' I had said. And then... he had kissed my cheek. After that one moment of contact of his... alcohol- _infested_ lips to my skin..." A tear rolled down her cheek. She didn't bother to wipe it away. "... that was when it all went to Hell. I remember his..." She envisioned his face from that evening in front of her. "... _lustful_ expression. He looked at me like I was some... prize." She could see some shaking heads. Needless to say, they were _disgusted_. "He wanted me, but I didn't want him." A bitter laugh. "But, then again, who was I to understand what was going on at that time? If there was one thing that I am _more than certain_ of, it's that I _didn't like it_. I didn't want it. But, he didn't stop there. I remember him _forcing_ his lips onto mine. 'Uncle Nate, what are you doing?' I had screamed. He told me to keep quiet. 'Uncle Nate, I don't like this — please stop,' I had _begged_. And you know what he said to me?" Another bitter laugh as more tears cascaded down her cheeks. " _Just play along, sweet pea_." Through her tear-filled eyes, she could see that some girls shook their heads again in disgust. Some were holding back tears. Some were boiling with anger. Some just stared blankly, fully drawn in to Kallie's story. "I screamed again to make him stop, and the next moment... I could feel the sting of his huge hand burning across my cheek." Her shoulders began to tremble as she was nearing the end of her nightmarish tale. "The last thing that I remember was... seeing his... _sadistic_ smile, and his head tilting to the side. It was like something out of a horror film. After seeing that smile... he... _violated_ me... touched me in places that I didn't want him to touch. Kissed me... Left his _stench_ all over my body." A long pause. Eerie silence filled the room. Kallie's expression blank. "His lips went down south of my body." Gasps were heard, some whimpers, quiet sobs, and groans of disgust. "Lower, and lower, and lower, until... he reached his goal. My wrists ache as he forcefully pins me down on my bed. I _screamed_ , I _cried_ , I _wailed_ , I _sobbed_ , I _shrieked_ , I _pleaded_ constantly for him to _stop_... but the torture went on. My uncle... he..." The tears flowed freely, staining her cheeks, as she said the three words that she knew would have to eventually escape her lips. With them quivering, she sobbed. "He raped me." She bit her lip, and sobbed, trembling as she wrapped her arms around herself. "He _raped_ me... he raped me..." She repeated this mantra several times, till her legs lost all feeling, and she dropped the floor. Kallie stared blankly at the floor below her. "Make him stop..." she whimpered, as she slowly brought her hands to her head. "Make him stop... please..." All reasoning went out the window, as Kallie screamed higher than at the top of her lungs. " _Make him stop! Help me! Please! Make him stop!_ "

She was brought back to that horrendous evening. Actually, _forced_ back. She had lost it. She wailed, not caring who heard her.

Suddenly, Melina, Dylan and Allison all stood up. Melina was the first to rush to Kallie.

"Kaelyn, sweetheart, calm down!" Linda urged, as Melina gripped Kallie's shoulders.

"Kallie! Kallie!" Their cries fell on deaf ears, as Kallie repeated the same words.

"Make him stop... please... Mom... Mama Em..." she squeaked. "Make him stop... Take him away..."

Melina's eyes pleaded with Linda.

"Don't even ask — go," she urged, as Melina helped her distraught friend off of the floor, and they exited the room. Whispers could be heard.

"The poor girl."

"Lord, help her."

"She didn't deserve this."

Lines of sympathy were scattered across the room, as Linda spoke up.

"Well, girls. That clearly shows that... this girl needs your prayers. _Desperately_. She's obviously _bonded_ to her horrendous past, and this man."

"Can we pray for her now, Linda?"

~ Restroom ~

Melina helped Kallie into the stalls, trying all she could to get her friend to come back to her senses.

"Kallie," she whispered. "Snap out of it, _please_." No response. Kallie just stared blankly out into nothing. Melina took her hands in her own. "Baby, _please_ ," she whimpered. "Look at me."

"He's inside me," Kallie monotoned.

"... What?"

"I can still feel him... _all over_ my body. In my head... on my skin... _inside_ me—"

"Stop, just... _stop_." Kallie's eyes slowly glanced to Melina. She could see tears. "Kallie, this is... it's too much. For you to go into detail like that, it's... just... too much..." she whimpered. Kallie gave a nonchalant laugh.

"Don't you see, Mel? ... I can't. Not if my life depended on it. I can't get away from this... I can't... get away from _him_... To me, he's everywhere. I can't ignore it." A pause. "I can't escape it..." she whispered. She looked over Melina's shoulder to see her own pale, blank reflection. "Living with that horror... it's not something you can forget. That stays to haunt you forever..."

Suddenly, Allison and Dylan burst into the room. Meanwhile, Kallie suddenly stood up from the toilet seat, lifted the seat up, and let all the bile and bacteria leave her lips, as she whimpered. Melina held her hair back, and rubbed her back. She looked up at Allison and Dylan, as all three girls thought the same thing.

 _She needs us._

~ One Hour Later ~

The four girls sat outside of the restroom. Kallie's head was rested on Melina's lap, her eyes closed as she slept soundly. Melina caressed the younger teen's locks.

"At first glance, you'd never guess that there was anything wrong with her," Dylan put in.

"That's what they said about _us_ ," Melina lamented. "With people that have a bondage like Kaelyn does, you're right, they'd never guess when they first meet you. But... it all goes downhill, and the reason for your... _craziness_ comes into full color after they press..."

"Your 'panic button'," Allison and Dylan finished.

"Exactly. Only thing is, that, with Kallie here, her button... didn't even need to be pressed. After she started, she just... didn't stop."

"What's your panic button, Mel?" Dylan asked.

Melina came up with something she likes to call "The Panic Button." When it's pressed, your whole story comes out. "The Panic Button" works like this. A certain phrase can trigger it. Anything from "How are you?" to "How's the family?" Melina's is...

"'How's your old man?'" Melina lives with a father who is a recovering alcoholic. "That, and... 'Are your parents divorced? Where's your Mom?'" Her mother passed away giving birth to her. She nodded to Dylan. "How 'bout you, Dyl?"

She thought about it for a second, then it came to mind. "'I haven't seen you with your boyfriend lately.'" Dylan was in an abusive relationship, and her ex-boyfriend is now stalking her. He got her pregnant, so she's scheduled for the following week to abort the baby. Her boyfriend raped her to get that baby, is the reason why.

"Alli?" Dylan asked.

"'How are you feeling today?'" Allison suffers from depression, and was a loner and introverted before she met Dylan and Melina. She frequently takes medication, but her main outlet is coming to group every week.

"We all have our panic buttons. You push it, you get a _slew_ of emotions pouring out," Melina commented. But then, something came to mind. "You know, Kallie said something seconds before you two came in that... is kind of... stuck in my head."

"What was it?"

"She said... 'Living with that horror... it's not something you can forget. That stays to haunt you forever.' My goodness, you should have seen her expression. It was just... blank. No emotion. Nothing. Don't you see, you guys? She's given up."

"She's lost her hope..."

"That's why she's here, girls," Linda said, coming into the hallway. "To get it back."

"We prayed for her," Dylan added as Melina gave a sad smile, her eyes casting down at the sleeping beauty on her lap.

"Good. She needs it."

 _Now more than ever. We'll help you heal, Kaelyn. You'll see._


	25. Mom

A week went by. A whole seven days after Kaelyn's breakdown at group. The past six nights, since retelling her story to a room full of people... the teen's nightmares began to resurface. They, however, hadn't yet escalated to night terrors, though, which was good, in any case.

Day by day, and for nearly a year, Kaelyn had been feeling more and more safe with her two mothers. Mostly with JJ. She had the caring, loving, protective characteristics that every mother should have with her child. Their relationship was one that Kaelyn had been fantasizing about for the last several months.

JJ cared for Kaelyn. She made sure she ate properly, had the right amount of sleep, the right amount of love and care that she knows she deserves. They were everything to each other. Kaelyn loved even the slightest bit of contact with JJ. How the blonde Agent would caress her, the soft kisses she would place in her hair or on her forehead, cheeks, or lips, the long hugs they would share. The teen cherished every second that she could be enveloped in her blonde mother's warmth.

 **~ Saturday Morning ~**

It was a beautiful morning. Sunshine, clear skies.

Kallie always loved mornings like this one.

These were mornings where she could forget about the Hell that she was subjected to, if only for a brief moment. The happiness that Kaelyn is experiencing can only last for so long, after all. Between going to group every week, to being checked on by her mothers, moments like these were well kept with her.

She was in her bedroom, writing in her journal, when a knock was heard at her door.

"Hey, Kallie. Can I come in?" JJ called from outside.

"Yeah."

Her blonde mother entered the room, and was pleased to see her daughters' room filled with light and sunshine for the first time in quite a while. She wrapped her arms around her eldest daughter, and placed a sweet kiss to her temple.

"Breakfast is ready downstairs."

"Alright," she replied, not looking JJ in the eye, completely immersed in her writing. "Just let me finish this entry up, okay?"

Holding her daughter tightly, JJ pressed a kiss to her cheek. She noticed something in the way she held Kallie.

"Kaelyn, sweetie, you're trembling." The teen froze at her mother's statement, and closed her journal, as JJ moved over to sit on Kallie's bed. She patted the spot next to her. Kallie went over and embraced JJ, leaning into her chest. "Start at the beginning. What's going on, honey?" The hesitation was obvious. Kaelyn bites her lip when she's nervous. "Talk to me," JJ tried again. A shaky breath left Kallie's lips. She swallowed hard.

"They're coming back — the nightmares."

JJ nodded understandingly.

"No wonder I hear you crying at night." Kallie looked up at her mother. "I come into your room every night to check on you. I hear your cries before I can even open your door. I come in, and I hold your hand as you're sleeping until you calm down. Your sister knows that I come in every night." Kallie can feel the tears building up in her eyes, as she lets out a quiet whimper. "Honey... you can tell me."

"I've been telling a whole room of people three times a week," she sulked. "What difference does one more person make?"

"Okay, the difference is that I'm your _mother_ ," JJ said sternly, lifting her daughter's chin to look her in the eye. "And you can tell me _more_ than anything." She ran a hand through her brown locks. "Talk to me, angel." The teen let out a sob at her mother's soft voice, and cried in her arms. She was wracked with pain with every sob that escaped her lips. JJ gave a heavy sigh. "Take your time, sweetheart. I'm here... I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

After a few minutes, Kallie had calmed down. JJ gave her an encouraging smile. Kallie's shoulder rose and fell as she heaved a sigh, before retelling her nightmare.

"Nathan had come back." She could feel the tears building back up from even saying her wretched uncle's name. She held them back. "He... broke into the house, attacked Henry, Mama Em, and... Kenzie." She heaved a shaky breath. "He had... beat me to where I couldn't even stand, much less help any of you..." As she was nearing the worst part, she let the tears stream down her cheeks. "I was completely, just... paralyzed." JJ took her hand, and gave it a tight squeeze. "He... he had you held at gunpoint. The gun was to your head." A sob made its way out of her lips. "Mom, he... he _raped_ you!" she cried. "Right in front of me and the family, and I..."

"Kaelyn..."

"I-I... I couldn't help you!" she wailed, as JJ tightened her hold on her daughter. "I'm sorry, Mom, I'm sorry..." she whimpered. "I couldn't help you, I'm sorry...!" The blonde Agent could feel her own tears welling up in her eyes, as she rocked her daughter back and forth.

"Shh, shh... Kallie, sweetheart..." She placed a kiss in her hair, and rested her chin on her head. "I've told you time and time again... I am _not_ going anywhere. No one's going anywhere." She pulled away from her daughter, and lifted her chin. "Do you remember how confident you were when you faced your Uncle in the interview room with us? What happened to that?" Kaelyn didn't reply. "What about all that time you spent with your Uncles? Was that all for—"

"Mom, you of all people should know that it's gonna take way more than just that to solve this!" Kallie yelled. JJ was shocked. She had never heard her daughter raise her voice directly at her. "It's nearly been a year since you found us, but it's only been a few _months_ since my uncle was counted guilty." JJ swallowed hard at her daughter's words.

 _What am I saying? She's right. JJ, you idiot! Sure, she was confident that day, but that only lasted for so long. Deep down, you know that she's just a sensitive little angel that needs her mother now more than ever. Be that mother. Don't try to force happiness on her if she's not ready! Don't make that mistake._

"I-I," JJ stammered. "Y-You're right... Kaelyn, you're right." She ran a hand through her hair. "I'm forcing this on you; I shouldn't be." She embraced Kallie once again. "But, I want you to know this — the next time you have another one of those nightmares, or if there's _anything_ bothering you, I wanna be the _first one_ to hear about it, okay?" JJ wiped her tears, and held her daughter tight. Changing the subject, she nodded towards Kallie's desk. "What were you writing in your journal?"

"Umm..." Kallie pulled away from JJ's embrace. "Linda wants us to keep a journal; apparently, putting your problems down on paper is supposed to help." JJ nodded, and Kallie continued. "Our journal has to have some kind of... theme." She stood up and went to grab her journal. "My theme is 'family'." The blonde Agent smiled softly. "I write about each of you from the BAU family one day of the week. I write about Aunt Penelope on Sunday, Uncles Spence, Derek and Hotch on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, Henry on Thursday, Kenzie on Friday... and you and Mama Em on Saturday." JJ smiled at that.

 _How can such a compassionate young girl be going through all this pain?_

"That's beautiful." Kallie opened her journal to today's entry.

"Can I read to you what I wrote today?"

"Please," JJ encouraged. Kallie lent a soft smile, and began reading.

"Today, I'm writing, once again, about my two saviors. Agents Emily Prentiss, and Jennifer Jareau," she began. "I wake up every day thanking the Lord that my sister and I were blessed with such strong, devoted, _loving_ women. If our Uncle had had his way with us... if we hadn't come across these Agents... I wouldn't be here today expressing this gratitude. I often hear my mothers call each other 'Blackbird' or 'Phoenix'. I just figured it was an inside joke between the two of them. I looked up the characteristics of the Phoenix and Blackbird, and most of them matched my mothers down to a 'T'." JJ chuckled at that. "The Blackbird is territorial, meaning that they would fight anyone and anything that stepped into their nest; it would protect its nestlings. And my mother, Jennifer, always says, 'You do whatever it takes to protect your family'." JJ could feel a lump forming in her throat. "The Phoenix, although a mythical creature, displays the 'rebirthing' characteristics that are — in a sense — like my mother Emily. She gets back up when she's beat down, and doesn't give up. She keeps trying, risking _everything_ for her loved ones. I've officially lost count of how many times I've said how blessed my sister and I are to have these women come into our lives." The tears flowed freely down JJ's blue orbs. "I can't imagine losing either of them, and just the thought of that alone shakes me to the core. But, at the same time... I know that they're the light at the end of my dark tunnel." Kallie whimpered as she remembered those words from Hotch. "I know that they'll be calling my name when I can't make sense of the things around me. I know that they'll be our crying shoulders. I know that I can rest assured knowing that... Agents Emily and Jennifer are _my_ family. The people I can call... Mom and Mama Em."

She closed the journal, and JJ instantly embraced her daughter, sobbing happily, placing kisses in her hair. Dark brown met blue, and smiles graced the two young women's lips.

"That's beautiful, angel. Do you mind if I show it to Mama Em?"

"Not at all." JJ placed a kiss on her daughter's forehead.

Then, she had an idea.

"Turn around for a second, sweetheart."

"What?" Kallie furrowed her brow. "Why?"

"Just trust me."

Kallie did as her mother said, and turned away from her. JJ took a deep breath, and reached towards the clasp of Rosaline's necklace. She took a good, long look at the pendant, and placed a kiss on it.

 _Rosaline... meet Kallie._

She placed the necklace around her daughter's neck. Kallie looked at it in shock, and turned back around to face JJ.

"Mom... this is—"

"Take it — it's yours." Kallie was speechless. "Don't even think about giving it back to me. And if you think that I'm trying to tell you something, the only thing I'm telling you by giving you this... is that if I can get through it, so can you." Kallie let a tear stream down her cheek.

"Mom..." she said tearfully. The two embraced once again, as Kallie cried happily in her mother's arms. "I love you!" she sobbed.

"I love you, too, baby. So much."


	26. All Hell Breaks Loose

"Dang, PJ, you should be an author — all your entries get me teary-eyed!"

Kallie laughed at Melina's remark, and gave a shrug.

"Hey, when I say I write down everything, I do mean _everything_."

It was another week at group, and they had just finished up their session, so Kallie was waiting for JJ outside the building with Melina, Allison and Dylan.

PJ was Melina's nickname for Kallie, since the teen's last name was _Prentiss-Jareau._

"Hey, when are you ever gonna write about us?" Dylan asked. "We're just as much family to you as that team is." Kallie smiled knowingly.

"Relax, Dyl. I write about you guys plenty — in my _separate_ journal." She gave a wink. "Be grateful that I even think of you three at all!" she added jokingly. The three other girls laughed.

"That's why we love you, girl," Allison played back, as she embraced Kallie, Dylan and Melina following through. Amidst their embrace, Kallie could hear a familiar car honk. She looked over their shoulders to see JJ's car. The blonde Agent exited her vehicle as Kallie pulled away from her friends.

"My ride's here — I'll text you gals this weekend."

"Group chat?"

"You know it! Bye, girls!"

"See ya, PJ!"

"Bye, Kal!"

"Later, Kay!"

JJ smiled softly as her daughter made her way over to her. The mother-daughter pair embraced each other.

"Hey, Mom."

"Hey, sweetheart."

 **~ Meanwhile, at the Apartment Complex ~**

Emily and Spencer were enjoying a round of poker and having a few drinks, while Kenzie and Henry were watching TV. Spencer was a little hesitant looking at the cards in his hand.

"Well, Reid, are you gonna keep me waiting?"

"Yeah, I fold," Spencer replied, setting his cards down as Emily laughed incredulously.

"Are you serious? You're not even trying."

The younger Agent glanced over at Henry and Kenzie and gave a laugh.

"Can you believe nearly a year has gone by since these girls came into your lives?" he asked. Emily gave a laugh.

"God, every time JJ asks me that, I _still_ say 'no'." Her eyes followed Spencer's as she looked longingly at her boy and girl. "They've certainly come a long way; especially Kaelyn."

"Whew, a long way is right. Kaelyn's a tough girl; she certainly has grown." Emily nodded knowingly.

"That she has."

 **~ JJ & Kallie ~**

A groan. Another groan.

"Mom...?" _Kallie...? Is that... Is that you, honey?_ "Mom, please wake up!"

JJ's blue eyes veered up from her current position, to see her daughter come into view, bruised and scratched, blood streaming down her forehead. The blonde forcefully sat up, all took quickly, and groaned from the pain.

"Agh!"

"Take it easy," Kallie urged. "You were hit over the head just now."

 _What is she going on about? Hit over the head? Why was she bleeding so much? Damn it, just_ what _is going—_

Her thoughts were interrupted when she glanced at the beam above them.

"Kaelyn. Don't move."

"What?" Kallie quaked. "Why?"

JJ looked down at the floor in anger.

"Whoever is doing this is filming us."

Kallie's eyes were directed to the red blinking light above them. They, indeed, were being filmed. The teen frantically looked at everything around them. Torture weapons were in plain sight, not bothered to be hidden. She looked down at her mother. Her head was bleeding — terribly.

"Mom, you're—"

"Kallie, I need you to help me up. Please." Lucky for the teen, she and her Mom were about the same weight. Despite both her ankles and wrists being bound, she still managed to support her mother's weight with her own. She scooted so the back wall was facing her. She then pressed her feet against the wall to act as a lever. She pushed JJ up enough that her back could lean against the wall. The pair breathed heavily. "Thank you," JJ heaved. "I know that wasn't easy."

"Mom," Kallie panted. "W-Where are we?" JJ shook her head.

"I can't make heads or tails of any of this, sweetheart." Then, a light bulb went off in the teen's head.

"We were rear-ended, weren't we? Someone rear-ended us..." she veered down. "And... we just somehow wake up here."

That's right. They were suddenly rear ended on their way home. The streets weren't busy, and there weren't very many passerby's on the sidewalks, so it had somehow gone unnoticed. It was as if the person that rear-ended them and they were the only ones on the road.

No one could call it in. No one knew where they were.

"Kaelyn... you said I was hit over the head earlier, right?" Kallie nodded. "Did you see who—" The teen shook her head, cutting her mother off.

"He had a ski mask on."

JJ clicked her tongue in frustration.

"Smart bastard," she thought out loud. She then felt around her back pocket with her fingertips — her cell phone, gun and badge were all gone. She threw her head back into the wall. "Kallie... do you have your cell phone on you?" The teen shook her head.

"No, my bag — along with my cell phone _and_ my group journal — are all gone."

 _There goes our way of contact..._

"Well, okay..." JJ heaved a tired sigh, when she heard a pained whimper leave her daughter's lips.

"Mom... I'm scared..." JJ stared at Kaelyn.

"Kallie, you listen to me." The teen looked back at her mother. "Don't show _any ounce_ of fear. That's what captors do — they feed off of their captives' hopelessness. They're sadists." Kallie's head turned her face her mother. JJ pressed her forehead to her daughter's. "Don't cry out. Don't get angry. Don't let your emotions get the best of you. Stay strong. Stay strong, Kaelyn." The Agent placed a kiss to Kallie's forehead. "If he lays a hand on you... don't respond to it. You said so yourself — you've already been through Hell and back. You've the scars to prove that you can handle this. And if you feel like losing... just remember these words. Play them over and over in your head. You're stronger than you think, Kaelyn — you know why?" The teen shook her head. "Because, blood or not, _you are my daughter_." Kallie bit her lip to keep it from quivering. "You and I, we... we have a bond like _no_ mother-daughter bond I've seen. We'll make it out of here, hand in hand... _together_ , okay?" Kallie let her shoulders rise and fall as she heaved a sigh.

"Okay."


	27. Don't You Touch Her!

**~ Emily ~**

"Mama Em, Mom or Kallie haven't texted you anything? It's been an hour and a half, and they're not back yet."

"I know, Kenzie." Emily stared out into the distance thoughtfully. "Something's not right." JJ would _always_ let Emily know if she was gonna be home late. But today was different — too different. Emily stood up from the kitchen table, and rummaged through her purse for her cell phone. She dialed "1" (JJ's speed dial number). One ring. Another ring. Another. Another, and another ring before going straight to voicemail. "Damn." She dialed Kallie's speed dial number, "2". Same amount of rings went off before going straight to voicemail. _What is going on?_ She dialed "3", Penelope, and three rings went off before the quirky analyst's voice was heard.

 _"Hey, Em, what's up?"_

"Hey, Pen, sorry to spring this on you, but I need you to track JJ's and Kallie's cell phones. They were supposed to be back from the support group, but too much time has gone by, and I'm worried."

 _"Oh, okay, will do... Okay... looks like they were pinging just fine for a few blocks before... the signal disappears about... Oh, God, it's about a few hours away from the support group building."_

"I need an address, Pen!" Emily hurried.

 _"Em, when I say 'a few hours', I really mean in the middle of nowhere."_

"Penelope..."

 _"I'm sorry, Emily! Really, I am! I'll keep trying."_ Penelope persisted. Silence was her response before a sigh was heard.

"I'll send Kenzie and Henry over to you," she said, staring at her younger daughter. Kenzie had a fearful expression.

 _"O-Okay..."_

As she hung up, she gave Kenzie an apologetic look.

"Mama Em, what's going on?" Emily put her phone in her pocket, and went over to Kenzie, bending down to her level.

"Kenzie... your Mom and sister are in trouble. I don't know exactly what happened, but... I need you to stay calm." Kenzie's breath hitched at the thought of her beloved big sister. "I need you to stay calm... for Henry, okay?" The younger girl glanced over at Henry, who was completely immersed in the TV, totally clueless to the Hell that was about to ensue. A tear streamed down her cheek. Emily quickly wiped it away. "Shh, no tears, baby girl," she whispered. "I don't wanna rattle you, hon, so I'm gonna take you over to Aunt Penelope's house, okay?"

"What are you gonna do?" the girl whimpered.

"I'm gonna rally up your Uncles, and we're gonna rescue our family before the worst happens," Emily said confidently. "But, in order for that to happen, I'm gonna need you and Henry to get in the car, okay?"

Kenzie could only nod.

 **~ JJ & Kallie ~**

A splash of water to her face jolted Kallie awake. Her eyes widened as she came face to mask with her captor. She willed herself not to scream. _Don't show fear. Don't cry out._ She looked next to her to see that JJ was gone.

"Mom?" She looked around frantically. "Mom? _Mom! Mom! Where are you?!_ " Before she knew it, she was slapped across the face, the sting permeating her skin. She panted heavily, and glared at her captor with fiery eyes. "Where... is she? What did you do with her?!" she roared. He said nothing. He stood up and went over to the cabinet across from her. He opened it to reveal JJ, passed out and hanging by her wrists. " _No! Mom! Mom, wake up!"_ Kallie shrieked. JJ wouldn't budge. "Mom..." He lifted JJ's chin, getting a close look at the blonde. "Don't!" Kallie urged. He looked back at her. "You can have your way with me, just... leave her alone, _please_." He glanced back from mother to daughter, and slowly closed the cabinet. Kallie's breath hitched as her mother's petite figure slowly disappeared from her eyes. He had a lock. From the looks of it, it had a combination on it. Kallie's vision was like that of a hawk, so she memorized the combination for when she was to break her mother out of there. The man walked over to Kallie and turned her around. He cut her loose, both her wrists and ankles. Kallie hesitantly looked back up at him, and turned while on the floor. He grabbed her by her hair so hard that the teen could feel as if he was gonna rip it right off her scalp. He forced her face up into the camera that was placed at the beam above them. The teen let a bitter laugh escape her lips. "Yeah, I know. You're filming us. What, so you can just get off at your captives' so-called 'fear' of you? Well, guess what, buddy, I'm not afraid of you!" She spat in his face. He threw her to the floor, and she groaned at the pain, but endured it. "My Mom told me not to show fear — can't blame me for following orders, can you?" she added. He stomped on her stomach with his combat boots. She screamed out, but let no tears drip down her eyes. The impact was so hard, blood streamed the ends of her lips. She licked it, letting the iron taste coat her tongue. "Heh, so this is what my own blood tastes like."

 **~ Emily ~**

They were getting somewhere. Emily, Derek, Spencer, and Hotch all gathered in the bullpen, going through every possible thing that must have happened to JJ and Kallie.

So, they figured out that JJ's car had been rear-ended, and they were hailed off into an entirely different car. _There had to have been_ someone _that saw that_ , Emily thought.

"Alright, Emily and Reid, you two go over and get JJ's car. While you're there, ask around; see if anyone saw the rear-ending. Morgan, you and I will go over to the support group and see if any of Kaelyn's friends can tell us anything."

 _"What about me, sir?"_ Penelope piped up over speakerphone.

"Garcia, you just..." Hotch stopped himself. A light bulb went off in his head. "Look into the prisoner's records of the local jail for me."

 _"What for?"_

"Hotch, what are you getting at?" Emily asked.

"Think about it, Emily," Hotch urged. "Your family hadn't made any public enemies up until six months ago."

Then, it all came hitting her like a bulldozer.

Nathan had escaped from prison.


	28. Mother and Daughter

**~ JJ & Kallie ~**

He had left the two of them alone. Kallie was leaning against the cabinet door, where JJ was still being held. The teen heard JJ kick against the cabinet door.

"Mom?" Kallie whispered. She was beaten so badly, she could barely speak, much less move her lips at all. "Is that you?"

"Yes, sweetheart, I'm right here," JJ said, now fully aware of the situation she was currently in. "Honey, why are you whispering? What did he do to you?"

Kallie tried to shrug it off. "Just a few bruises, scratches, some blood loss — it's nothing," she whispered.

"Blood loss?!" JJ repeated fearfully.

"I told him he could have his way with me as long as he leaves you alone. He hasn't done the worst to me, just so you know."

JJ couldn't believe what she was hearing. _My daughter... sacrificing herself for me?_ She shook her head knowingly at the thought. _No. JJ, that's not it, and you know it. You somehow managed to get yourself into this pathetic state, and now your daughter's getting beaten to a pulp because of_ your _mistake!_

"Kaelyn, I swear, when I get out of here—"

"You can't. He's got a combo lock to that cabinet that you're in."

"Do you know it?" JJ pleaded.

"...No." JJ heaved a sigh. "Mom..." Kallie groaned. "You don't have to say anything, okay? Just listen." She took a short breath, with her broken ribcage, and let it out. "I know I'm probably doing the stupidest possible thing you could ever imagine, but, _please_ understand that... I don't care what happens to me. As long as you _stay_ in that cabinet where he can't get to you. Like you said, I've already been through Hell. What's the harm in going a second time?" JJ sobbed at that, worried sick for her precious daughter. "You've been protecting me for nearly a year. Now... now, it's my turn. Let me play the hero for once, Mom. Please?" JJ sniffled, as Kallie couldn't see the tears streaming down her mother's cheeks. The blonde kicked the cabinet hard in frustration. She kicked and kicked like a little girl with a tantrum.

"Damn it!" A kick. "Damn it!" Another kick. " _Goddamn it!_ " she shrieked with another kick.

"Mom..."

 **~ Emily ~**

They had gotten JJ's car back, and had it towed to an auto-shop. Emily and Spencer were surveying the road that the rear-end had happened, and weren't having very much luck.

"Emily, um... You're biting at your nails again," he observed, as his nervous friend was digging her teeth into her fingernails. She stopped, and ran her hand through her hair.

"Sorry, Reid, I'm... I-I just..."

Spencer looked at Emily guiltily. To say that she was nervous was such an understatement. He could literally _feel_ her pain seething from her own heart to his. Emily's hands rested on her chest. He smiled sadly.

"You're shaking."

"Am I?" the older Agent quaked. Spencer shifted awkwardly.

"Y-Y'know, maybe... maybe you should just... sit this out—" Emily didn't give him a _millisecond_ to finish as she glared back at him with fiery eyes.

"I am not setting foot back into my apartment complex, until I know that the rest of my family will be there!" The tears dared to escape from her eyes, as she bit back her quivering lip. "God, I-I can't even begin to imagine what they're going through right now, Reid, I-I just..." Spencer shifted closer to Emily before embracing her in a warm hug. He held her tight. "I-I thought... I thought you were weird with hugs," she chuckled.

"Not when it comes to my friends," he said softly, as she leaned into his embrace. "Emily... when Morgan and I almost didn't make it out of that burning church... when you and I went undercover... the minute you saw me, you held me like this." Emily whimpered. "Do you remember that?" She nodded tearfully in his embrace. "I felt your relief when we came out of that church, and I knew how worried you were that I had so much trouble getting out of there."

"What are you getting at, Reid?" Emily questioned.

"What I'm getting at, is that... I wanna be able to see this exact relief when we rescue JJ and Kallie." Emily stayed quiet. "But, in order for us to do that, you need to have a clear head, so..." He pulled away from her. "I'm gonna call Hotch, and have him escort you over to Garcia's place, where Henry and Kenzie are." He offered a smile. "It's probably best that those kids are with at least _one_ of their Moms, right?" Emily sniffed, wiping her tears.

"Yeah, you're probably right." She let a tired sigh escape her lips. "Besides, there's no possible way that I can face JJ in this state; I'm already a mess as it is," she added with a chuckle as Spencer joined in, offering her his arm.

"C'mon." She embraced him again, and they walked off together.

 **~ JJ & Kallie ~**

"Mom... you awake?" Kallie whispered. A quiet moan came as Kallie's reply, before the blonde mother responded.

"Yeah, I'm awake, sweetie." Kallie breathed a sigh of relief.

"Y'know, it's actually _so good_ to hear that..." she groaned. "... that you have an easier time..." Another groan. "... talking than I do." JJ noticed something in the way her daughter spoke.

"Angel, your... your breathing's a little shallow, what—"

"Yeah, he, uhm..." Kallie bit her lip. "He, uh, heh... busted my ribcage," she breathed out.

"Kaelyn, I swear, if this son of gun lays _one more finger_ on you, I'll—"

"I _refuse_ to let you get hurt!" Kallie persisted. She was beside herself. Whoever this bastard was could break every bone in her body, so long as JJ came out of there unscathed. Her mother's persistence wasn't helping.

"So, what, you're telling me a broken ribcage isn't enough for you?" JJ demanded.

"Did I mention..." she groaned out. "... that he gashed my legs, too?" she finished nonchalantly. "He stabbed me — multiple times." The entire time that JJ was passed out, Kallie hadn't let a single cry, shriek or plea to leave her lips. She stayed strong, and she still will. But, JJ wasn't gonna take anymore. She had enough.

"Alright, whoever you are that's doing this to my daughter...!" she yelled out. "You sick bastard, _let. Me. Out of here!_ " She kicked the cabinet door multiple times before she could hear footsteps across the floor. "Kallie?"

"He's back," the teen chuckled, looking up at her captor. "What, you still haven't had enough?" The playful smile was instantly turned down once he removed his ski mask. "No way... H-How did you—"

"Kallie?" JJ called out. "What is it?!"

"Hello again... Agent Jareau," _Nathan_ sneered. JJ went from shock to anger as she shrieked out.

 _"Wright!"_ She kicked and kicked and kicked the cabinet door. "You son of a bitch! How did you escape?!" she roared. Nathan laughed.

"Please, Agent, all it takes a simple brawl in a prison cell to let me slip out of that place. You, of all people, should know that."

"Just you wait, Wright! When I get out of here, I will _have. Your. Head_!" Nathan smiled sadistically in return. He veered down Kallie, who's eyes widened in sheer terror.

"I'll be waiting for that," he said playfully, gripping his burly hand to Kallie's hair, dragging her across the floor. "In the meantime, I'll have my way with your daughter!"

" _No! Let me go! Mom! Help! Please, please!"_ Kallie wailed, completely helpless.

"Kaelyn!" JJ kicked the cabinet door countless times, calling out her angel's name. "Kaelyn! Kaelyn! Kaelyn!" she cried. When she realized all was hopeless, she sobbed. She thought of Spencer. Hotch. Derek. Penelope. _Emily_. "Emily..." she whimpered. "Please hurry... _please_..."


	29. Whatever It Takes

Time was ticking by. Time was running out. Seconds turned to minutes. Minutes turned to hours. It was nearly sundown, and there were _still_ no leads, no clues, _nothing_ that could lead the team to JJ and Kallie.

Penelope was working tirelessly on her laptop, when her searching went haywire, and suddenly... a live video feed had come up. Nathan had wired JJ's cell phone to connect to Penelope's laptop, as well as the entire BAU's feeds.

"Oh my God, Emily!" Penelope shouted, calling her over.

"What is it?! Did you find—" Emily's breath hitched as she saw Kallie, being thrown onto the floor. After so long, after finally realizing that she had just been putting up a front, Kallie screamed and cried, releasing all the built-up pain. "What the hell is this?" Emily growled.

"I-It's a l-live feed of... Kallie and—"

" _Nathan_ ," Emily seethed. "He has my girls, that _sick little_ —"

"Don't forget there are still children here, Em," Penelope quickly said, reminding her friend to watch her tongue. Emily quickly pulled out her cell phone, and saw that the feed was streaming on it as well. She saw Kallie being dragged across the floor towards the camera. Nathan brought her face up close, so they could see all the brutality displayed on her. Emily's stomach churned, and she willed herself not to vomit at her beloved daughter's unrecognizable expression.

Tears were streaming down her face, even her eyes were bleeding and bloodshot. She cried and cried, as Nathan sickly laughed at her pain.

" _Make sure your 'BAU family' gets a good look at your pathetic face, sweetheart!_ " he cackled. She mumbled something, but it was incoherent. As Emily got a good look, she noticed her face was so badly bruised, it was clear as day that she was already swelling up. Her face was moved from the camera, and Nathan removed it from its original stance. He roughly threw Kallie back on the ground, holding the camera with his free hand. He panned down to the floor. " _Take a good, long look at your little Kaelyn, Agents,"_ he sneered. " _Pathetic. How's a little worm like this being raised by the FBI?_ " He clicked his tongue. " _Oh, Agent Prentiss, if you're watching this, which I assume you are, you're probably wondering where your beloved Agent Jareau is_." Emily's breath caught in her throat at the mention of her wife. " _Well, I'll have you know_..." He went over to the cabinet that JJ was in. " _... she's perfectly fine_." He knocked on the cabinet door. " _Kaelyn over there told me that I could do as I please with her, as long as your precious Agent Jareau comes out of this unharmed_." JJ kicked the cabinet once again. She kept kicking, and would keep kicking until her legs gave out. " _Until I've had all my fun with your precious daughter, little Agent Jareau's gonna be a good girl, and hang out in here_." He walked around the room, showing all the torture weapons on the tables. _"Now, what else should I use to play with sweet little Kallie?_ " He panned up to his face. " _Any ideas, Agents?_ " Emily's blood boiled. Nathan let out a gasp. " _Oh, I know! I could use my 'little friend'_ ," he said, nodding down to his "lower part". " _Maybe make up for lost time? Re-enact my little piece of work from ten years ago?_ " he sickly suggested. He cackled at the camera. Emily saw enough. She roared as she threw her phone across the room, her fury building up more and more. She made her way over to Penelope.

"You said where JJ and Kallie were being held was at least two hours away from here, possibly abandoned, right?" she demanded. Penelope nodded, wordless. "I need a list of every abandoned warehouse, house, or anything along those lines within two hours of here, Pen! Now!"

"A-Alright."

 **~ 2:45am ~**

Twelve hours. JJ and Kaelyn had been held for nearly twelve hours. And JJ _still_ couldn't do a thing to help her daughter as Kallie's shrieks of terror pierced her eardrums. JJ began to pray, something that she hadn't done since Rosaline's passing.

 _Please, please, dear God, send someone..._ anyone _... to save my daughter...! Please!_ Then, one other person came to mind. _Rosaline... help her! Please, I'm begging you! Ros... please..._

On the other side of the cabinet, Nathan was feeling Kallie up. Kissing her sloppily, breathing on her, all while the teen is completely motionless. For all she knew, it was hopeless. It was stupid of her to be so naive, to think that her uncle wouldn't escape from prison, to act high and mighty in front of the one person that's been responsible for her pain that's lasted for nearly a year... and was about to last for even longer.

 _I'm such an idiot..._ the teen thought. _I tried_ so hard _to put up a fight... to protect her... to not let her waste a single ounce of energy protecting_ me _... and look where it's gotten me._ Her eyes glanced over to Nathan, who was standing up, and unzipping his pants. She was about to come face to face with that _thing_ again.

Ten years. After ten long years of hoping and praying that her trauma, her horror, wouldn't be repeated, it was all for nothing.

 _I've already been through Hell. What's the harm in going a second time?_

Those were Kaelyn's words to her mother. And she was fairly confident about those words. But, now, since she's about to go through Hell once again... she wanted so badly to turn back time — to just be back in JJ's car with her mother, talking about her day at group. She wanted to be anywhere else but in her current position. All her confidence she had successfully built up for the past six months... was about to turn to dust.

 _It all ends here, huh... I'm gonna be violated... again._

Before his lower rod was fully shown to Kallie, he made his way over to the cabinet. He smiled sadistically, as he whispered.

"Any last words before I repeat history, Agent?" JJ only whimpered in reply. "Any prayers you want answered?" The blonde Agent gave one final kick to the cabinet, and gave up.

"Forgive me, angel," she whispered. "Forgive me."

 **~ Emily ~**

Finally. They were finally on their way to save their girls.

After checking place after place, Emily found the warehouse on Richmond and Sector Street. It was a rather large warehouse, but Emily assumed they would be at the very end of it. They hadn't a moment to lose.

The rest of the guys had followed her once she had a few leads as to where Kallie and JJ were. They rushed into the warehouse. All was quiet. No screams of fear or cries for help from either of the girls.

Their only lead was the one gunshot that rang out through the entire warehouse.


	30. Devastation and Salvation

"Morgan!"

Emily called her partner's name as they neared the very last door to the warehouse. It was locked. Morgan nodded for Emily to stand back, and _bam_! He kicked the door open.

The sight that the team was greeted with was beyond words.

Kallie was on the floor, breathing heavily, with JJ's gun in her right hand. Her skirt was pulled down. Derek, Spencer and Hotch immediately veered their eyes away from the sight. Nathan was laying against the cabinet, a bullet shot straight through his heart. Emily rushed her daughter's side. Spencer glanced over next to Kaelyn and noticed something.

"Where's JJ?"

"In here..." the blonde moaned in reply. Derek paced over to the cabinet. He growled in frustration once he saw the combo lock.

"The... combination..." Kallie mumbled.

"What is it, precious?" Emily soothed. Kallie swallowed hard.

"The combination... i-it's... the day... the day that... he raped me... for the first time..." she breathed out. Emily's face paled, and then scrunched into anger.

"Morgan."

"You don't have to tell me; I know," he growled. He twisted the numbers. _09-22-01_. Once Derek cracked the combo, threw the lock onto the floor, and opened the cabinet doors. "JJ." The blonde looked up at her friend.

"Derek," she breathed out, throwing her head back in relief. "Am I glad to see you." Derek got the key to the handcuffs from Nathan's pocket, and got JJ loose.

"I got you, blondie." JJ laughed tiredly at her nickname, and fell into Derek's arms as her wrists were set free. Despite not having any wounds on her, JJ was still beside herself. She looked up from Derek's shoulder, and her face paled in horror at the sight of her daughter on the ground.

"Oh my God, Kallie!" she shrieked. "My baby..." she sobbed.

"Mom..." the teen whispered. She was losing consciousness with every second that passed. All she could hear was her blonde mother's cries. Her sobs, her whimpers, and her calling her name constantly. Through her half-lidded eyes, Kallie could see that JJ was, as promised, completely unharmed. Aside from a possible concussion and bruised wrists, the worst was over for her blonde mother.

Kallie could black out with the reassurance that her beloved mother was safe.

 **~ Two Days Later ~**

It felt as though time had stopped for the Prentiss-Jareau family. In Kallie and JJ's minds, they were still stuck in that warehouse. Mostly for Kallie. Her PTSD was reaching its peak. She was back in that dark tunnel, with no way out.

She was rushed to the ER, barely breathing, as JJ was patched up for her concussion and iced for her bruised wrists. After JJ was checked out — thankfully, with no serious injuries — she was brought into Dr. Wilson's office with Emily.

It had only been two days since their abduction and her torture, and Kallie hated her very self for subjecting her mother to have to hear her cries for help. JJ couldn't forgive herself for letting her precious daughter be brutally raped _again_. She couldn't live with herself. Emily was angry — just _angry_. Angry at herself for not making it in time, angry at Nathan for doing his dirty work on her daughter.

Kallie was reunited with her sister and the two were laughing, before JJ came into the room.

"Looks like you're back to being yourself again, eh, Kallie, baby?" She went over to her daughters and gently kissed Kallie's forehead.

"How are you holding up, Mom?" Kenzie asked.

"Oh, I'm fine, sweetheart." She smiled softly at her eldest daughter, who smiled back tiredly. "Listen, Kenzie, why don't you give your sister and I some time alone, hmm?"

"Okay..." Kenzie replied, nodding. She stood up from her seat, and went over to her sister. "See you later, Sissy," she whispered, and placed a kiss on Kallie's forehead. Once the mother-daughter pair were left alone, JJ handed a bottle of water to Kallie. She gladly chugged it down, being dehydrated just overall exhausted.

"I figured you should be okay to talk now," JJ said softly. "I mean, it has been two days." Kallie only nodded in reply. " _Are_ you okay to talk now, angel?" The teen nodded again.

"Throats a little sore, though." JJ gently took her daughter's hand.

"It's alright. Don't force it, take your time." Kallie did take her time. She took her time to remember the last thirty-six hours before they were rushed to the hospital, down to every last detail. She remembered the psychological and physical anguish of being violated for the _second time_ , and hearing her mother's helpless cries for her. When all those thoughts flooded her mind, so did the tears. They streamed down her cheeks, glistening off of her bruised complexion. JJ squeezed her hand. The blonde's heart wrenched at the sight of her sweet daughter going through all this torture. "I'm right here, sweetheart," she croaked.

"How many more tears do I have to shed before all this is over?" Kallie quaked. JJ bit back her tears. "How much more pain do I have to put my family through? How many more sleepless nights do I have to have before I completely lose my mind?"

JJ mulled over her daughter's words. The lump was forming in her dry throat her Kallie's pain, but no tears were shed. She stroked a stray hair away from Kallie's face, and placed a kiss on her knuckles.

"Believe me, sweetheart, when we first met you girls, and we found out about you... I couldn't even begin to imagine, much less _understand_ what you were going through, and I still can't to this day." Kallie swallowed hard at that. "But, know this, Kaelyn: whether or not I understand what you're going through _doesn't matter_. You know why?"

"... Why?"

"Because I don't have to understand _anything_... to know that you're in pain." She lent a soft smile. "I don't care how many times I have to say this for you to understand, Kaelyn, but, you are my _everything_." The tears kept coming from the teen's eyes. "Okay? And I love you." JJ placed a chaste kiss to her forehead, and pressed hers against it. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, too."

A voice interrupted the two.

"Agent Jareau." JJ and Kallie looked over to the door to see Dr. Wilson. "I'd like to give Kaelyn a sedative — just to calm her nerves." Kallie gave a pleading look to her blonde mother, and JJ smiled softly in return.

"Let the doctors do their job, okay?" Kallie looked down, not meeting her mother's blue eyes, but nodded in reply.

"Okay."

JJ walked out of the room, leaving her daughter with Dr. Wilson, and once they were out of sight, quickly picked up her pace to the nearest restroom. As reached the restroom, she shut the door, and panted heavily. After staying strong for her daughter in her hospital room, after telling her everything was going to be okay... she only knew she was lying to both her daughter and herself. Things were only going to get far worse before they could get better.

And upon that realization, the petite blonde Agent curled her knees up to her chest and cried. She cried like a child, as the pain-wracked sobs left her lips.

"I'm sorry, Kaelyn!" she lamented. "I'm _so_ sorry!"

 **~ Ten Minutes Later ~**

Spencer was beyond worried for his friends and their daughter. Henry would sometimes ask him why his Mommy and big sister were always crying. It pained the genius to just smile sadly at the toddler and say "They're just going through a hard time right now, Henry."

Spencer scoffed at that. "Hard" didn't even begin to sum up how the entire Prentiss-Jareau family felt, going through nothing but agony left and right.

Once he saw JJ just pace past him into the restroom, he knew he had to be there for his best friend.

JJ exited the restroom, heaving a tired sigh, and stopped in her tracks.

"Spence." He pursed his lips, greeting her back. "How long have you been out here?" she sighed, going over to sit down next to him.

"Since you walked passed me — well, _paced_ , really." The blonde let a tired laugh leave her lips, and ran a hand through her locks.

"Sorry, Spence, I... just..." She bit her lip. "I just... feel so helpless right now." She let out a bitter laugh as another stream of tears stained her cheeks.

"JJ, I hate to break it to you, but... no matter how much you wish it could've done something... there really is _nothing_ you could have done." He watched as a sob escaped his friend's lips. "Think about it — you were _locked_ and _cuffed_ in that cabinet. What could you possibly have—"

"That's what hurts the most!" JJ cried. Spencer's face was completely blank as he listened to his partner's pained thoughts. "Spence, don't you get it? A parent is supposed to _be there_ for their child. I couldn't be there for Kaelyn." She sobbed. "I am going to be living every millisecond of my life _regretting_... my duty as a mother." She sighed. "I told you... when I was nearing a year since my abduction, that my 'word' was 'Tivon Askari'. Remember that?" He nodded. "Well, now, Kallie has a 'word' that's bigger than 'PTSD', and it's 'Nathan'." She let a bitter laugh leave her lips. "It'll _always be_ 'Nathan', Spence! Always..." she whimpered in utter despair. "It's _always_... going to be him..." She sobbed once more, and Spencer couldn't take anymore of JJ's cries as he wrapped his arms around her, letting her sob into his chest.

 _God, JJ... Kallie... Emily... Kenzie... Henry... There's gotta be_ some way _that this family can get mended back together. There just_ has _to be._


	31. Losing Reality

It was time for Kallie's discharge from the hospital. After two weeks of nothing but pain killers and sedatives, the teen was finally able to go home. Dr. Wilson's orders for Kallie were to replace the gauze on her legs three times a day, take her pain killers once in the morning, and again at night, take her sedatives any time she needs to be "put down" and get plenty of bed rest. JJ called Linda, and said that Kallie would return to group once she's rested enough. Until then, JJ would be by her side every second of the day.

"Mom, I had the keys on my lap," the teen groaned as she was being wheeled (with a wheelchair, since her legs weren't exactly functional) to their front door and JJ had taken the keys. "I can still use my arms, y'know!"

"There's no point in wasting your energy using only one half of your body, young lady," JJ chastised. Kallie rolled her eyes playfully, and gave a sigh.

"Don't you think you're blowing this a little out of proportion?" she played, as JJ unlocked the door. JJ chuckled, challenging her.

"Yeah, need I remind you that we were _both_ abducted, and _you_ got the short end of the stick!"

"Best to do as JJ says, Kal," Emily agreed. "I had exhausted myself plenty enough just worrying about the two of you!"

Okay, let's face it. All three of them were exhausted. What this family went through isn't something that won't stay with them. This will stay with them for quite a long time.

As JJ opened the front door, Kallie wheeled herself to her room.

"Kaelyn Rosaline Prentiss-Jareau, you get back here!" the blonde shouted. The teen gave a sigh, and turned her chair to face her mothers.

"I hate to break it to ya, Mom, but I am just as functional with my upper body as I've ever been with my lower body, which means..." She waved both of her hands, which were completely functional. "I can open my own door." She smiled playfully at JJ, who played along, lending a smile back.

"Alright, fine, have it your way," she laughed, putting her hands up in defeat. Kallie turned her chair, and wheeled her way to her bedroom. "But, don't expect any breakfast in bed with that attitude!" JJ shouted after her.

"Love you, too!" Kallie played.

 **~ One Week Later ~**

"Are they almost done?!" Kenzie squealed, as she was anxiously awaiting the ' _ding'_ that the oven would make once Kallie's famous snickerdoodles were finished baking. Emily was helping the younger sister make sure they wouldn't make _too_ big of a mess in the kitchen.

"They're nearly done, squirt, just maybe..." She looked at her watch. "About five minutes."

"Yay!"

"What's with that strong cinnamon smell over here?" JJ asked, going over to the kitchen.

"We're making Kallie's snickerdoodles! Ah, but, don't tell her — it's a surprise." JJ nodded, playing along.

"Ahh, okay." She looked around at the kitchen. "Well, you two did a good job at keeping the kitchen clean, I'll give you that."

"Still, I'm amazed that you were able to memorize your sister's recipe, Kenzie," Emily commended, putting her arm around Kenzie.

"Heehee, well, she made them pretty often and I stuck to her like glue, so I guess I kinda caught on," she replied sheepishly.

 _Ding!_

"Oh, looks like they're ready," JJ observed.

"Yes!"

Emily grabbed a pair of oven mitts and opened the warm oven that was emitting the sweet from of cinnamon. The dark-haired Agent let the scent pass through her nostrils, and sighed in contentment.

"They smell _amazing_."

"Well, let's see how they taste."

Suddenly, a shout came from Kallie's and Kenzie's room.

 _"How did you get in here?!"_ Kaelyn's voice rang out. Emily quickly put the tray of cookies on the countertop. _"No, you're not touching anyone! Just... stay the hell away, you hear?!"_ Kallie shouted again. _"Stay away from my family!"_

 _Just_ what _is happening?_ JJ thought. _There wasn't anyone else in the house. Unless..._

"Kenzie, you stay here and keep an eye on Henry, alright?" she said cautiously, nodding over to have Emily follow her.

"But—"

"No buts, precious," Emily said sternly. "Just listen to your Mom, okay?"

The two Agents didn't bother to get their guns, because pulling them on their daughter would only scare her further. So, they both cautiously proceeded down the hall into their girls' room. The door was open, and Kallie's back was facing them. The teen's arms were outstretched towards the closet. JJ narrowed her eyes.

"Kaelyn?"

At the sound of her name, Kallie swiftly turned, her eyes fiery as she held _JJ's gun_ in her trembling hands.

"S-Stay away..." she quaked. Her cheeks were stained with tears and her eyes bloodshot.

"Kaelyn—" Kallie stopped JJ as the blonde advanced towards her.

"I said stay away!" she shrieked. Upon hearing her sister's screaming, Kenzie rushed to her bedroom, only to be greeted by a sister... that she didn't even recognize.

"K-Kallie...? W-What's going—"

"Kenzie!" Emily yelled. "Get back in the living room, _now_!" The girl didn't respond. She could only let the shakiest of breaths leave her lips, as her eyes met with her sister's. Kallie frantically flared the gun from her baby sister to her blonde mother.

"You stay away from her," Kallie growled, seething every bit of hatred into her words. JJ put her hands up in defense, trying once again to advance towards her daughter.

"Okay, Kallie... You need to—"

"You, _back. Up. Now!_ " she barked.

"Okay! Okay..."

The blonde glanced from Kallie to Emily to Kenzie, who was still standing behind them. Her eyes veered frantically around the room.

 _Before anything else, JJ, you_ have _to get that gun out of her hands! One wrong move, and she could very well but that bullet through someone's head. Come on, JJ!_ Think _, damn it!_

Before JJ could even make her next move, Kallie roared.

 _"Stay. Away!"_

She fired a shot, and it rang out through the entire complex.


	32. Where Do We Go From Here?

Kallie fired the shot. The last bullet that was in JJ's gun... had swooped past her two mothers... to grazing past Kenzie's right ear, and piercing through the hallway wall. The younger sister cried out in pain, and dropped to her knees, bringing her small hands to her ear.

"Kenzie!" Emily cried, rushing to her daughter. Kenzie looked at her hands that were trickling with warm, dark scarlet blood. She cried, terrified at the sight of her own blood. She looked up at her sister, who was still focusing her fiery eyes on JJ. "We need to stop the bleeding!" Emily urged, helping Kenzie up off the floor. Kenzie could only whimper in reply. _God damn it, Kallie, just_ what _has gotten into you?_

JJ was obviously in shock at the ordeal just now, but still needed Kallie to come to her senses.

"Kallie..." she proceeded. "Listen to me, angel. You're not thinking straight, because you haven't taken your sedative. Now, why don't you lie down, and—" Kallie prepared to fire the gun again.

"The next one's going through your head, Nate." JJ raised her eyebrows.

"N-Nate? Sweetheart, it's me — it's Mom." Kallie's hands were still trembling.

"Don't play games with me, Nathan!" _I-Is she... hallucinating? She thinks..._ I'm _Nathan?!_ "I know what you want, and I'm not letting you anywhere near my family! Not one step, you hear me?!" Tears were brimming her dark brown eyes, and glistening down her cheeks. She was terrified. JJ could see it a mile away.

"Mommy!" Henry yelled from the living room. "Are you okay, Mommy? Why's Kenzie hurt?"

"Kenzie's gonna be fine, little man," Emily soothed. "She just needs a bandage, is all."

Shit. Henry _cannot_ get caught up in this. JJ gave a sigh, and turned her attention back to Kallie.

"Kallie. L-Let's just... calm down, alright? Y-You haven't taken your sedative, okay? You're... you're s-seeing things" It was safe to say the blonde Agent was terrified, as well. Her daughter was pointing _her own gun_ at her. It was enough to make JJ run for the hills before Kallie could completely just lose all reason. But, she refused to back down. She took a step towards her. "Honey, look. I know you're scared, but... I-I'm just—" She caught herself. " _We_ are just trying to help you. Okay? Mama Em and I — we just wanna help you." She took another step. Then another. "Now, that's not gonna happen, we're not gonna get anywhere... unless you do as I say and just... put the gun down, okay, honey?" She reached out to take her gun, when Kallie hit her over the head with it. JJ groaned at the added pain to her still-healing concussion, but still took the chance to swiftly lock her daughter's arms behind her back, finally taking her gun. "Do you see what happens when you go out of control like this, Kaelyn? People get hurt," she scolded. It was then that she was greeted with a look of horror staring back at her as Kallie turned her head.

"... Mommy?" she quaked, finally coming to her senses. "What are you doing?" she asked, looking at her locked arms behind her back. JJ's blue eyes bore into Kallie's dark brown — they were sincere, but still scared. JJ gently put her gun in her back pocket, and loosened her grip on Kallie's wrists, hugging her tightly in return. "What just happened?" JJ didn't answer. She just softly weeped tears of relief into her daughter's shoulder.

 **~ Emily & Kenzie ~**

"Sounds like things have calmed down," Emily said, as she applied the last bit of gauze to her younger daughter's right ear.

"All this time, I thought that a 'graze' was literally just... like a scratch, but..." she inhaled sharply from the pain. "Guess it's a little more than that," she chuckled.

"I am so sorry that you got caught up in this, sweetheart." Kenzie shook her head.

"No, I... I should've listened. I should've stayed here in the living room."

"You okay, Kenzie?" Henry asked, the toddler's voice laced with concern. Kenzie brought him up on her lap, and kissed his cheek.

"I'm fine, little man."

"Mommy, too?" Kenzie looked back into the hallway, to see JJ with her arm around Kallie's shoulders. She smiled in relief at the sight before turning her attention back to her little brother.

"Mommy's fine, too. Sorry for scaring you, baby boy," she soothed, bringing Henry closer to her, giving him a little tickle, as he giggled and squealed. Emily smiled at the sight. As JJ and Kallie went over to the three of them, Emily pulled JJ away.

"Do I even need to ask how _your_ gun got into our daughter's hands, Jennifer?" JJ shrugged tiredly.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Emily, because I haven't the slightest clue how Kallie could get a hold of my gun." The older Agent heaved a sigh, running a hand through her dark locks.

"Well, what do you propose we do, Jayje?" JJ looked longingly at her three children as they embraced each other.

"Honestly, Em? I don't even know anymore."

 **~ That Night ~**

After today, Kallie figured she needed a shower to wash away all the pressure from her tense bones. She was wrapped in her towel, taking a look at herself in the mirror. _Heh. Wow, I'm a mess._

That wasn't even the half of it. That afternoon, when JJ explained to her everything that had happened, since she had no recollection of it whatsoever, she figured she was just going insane. To Kaelyn, not even her reflection was her own anymore.

 _Am I gonna be able to show my face in Godly Girls again after this? I mean, I pulled a gun_ on my mother _! If that doesn't deserve condemnation, than I don't know what does._

She steps into the shower, draping her towel over the shower door. As she turned the knob, she immediately felt the warmth of the water soothe her body. She moaned in content at the contact, letting the water soak her hair. Then, there was a knock at the bathroom door. Kallie turned her head to see JJ wrapped in a towel, lending a gentle smile.

"Hey, angel. Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all."

JJ dropped the towel down onto the floor, and Kallie stared. JJ lent a smile.

"What?" she asked, opening the shower door.

"I think I understand why Mama Em fell for you now. You've got some bod, Mom!" The Agent laughed.

"Well, thank you, honey." After a bit of talking and joking, Kallie turned away from her mother, the two still in the shower. JJ grabbed a small towel and spread a bit of soap on it. "Here, let me scrub your back for you," she offered. The teen turned her head up to her mother.

"Okay." The shower was fairly big enough for someone to sit down in, so the mother-daughter pair sat in the shower, and something caught JJ's eye. Kallie had some fairly big scars on her back. The blonde gently traced her fingers over one of them. "He used to, uhm..." The teen swallowed hard. "... whip me... with his belt. He'd make me take my shirt off, and he'd... whip me if I did something he didn't like." JJ resisted gritting her teeth as she gently scrubbed the soaped towel across Kallie's back. "These scars may be old, but... the memory of that... feels like it was just yesterday." JJ licked her lips.

"You know, there's an old saying about scars. 'They dictate where we've been... but they don't determine where we're going.'" JJ placed a feather kiss on Kaelyn's shoulder. "And you know what else is said about scars?" Kallie shook her head. "It's said that scars are the most beautiful part of a woman's body. They symbolize something. They symbolize that she is a _survivor_. That she withstood what God threw at her. These scars, honey, they're all — as I told your Mama Em — the 'ultimate victory over your foe'." She placed another kiss on Kallie's cheek. "So, why suffer a pain you're proud of?"

"Maybe, but this pain... the scars themselves may be behind me, but the _reason_ behind these scars... that'll stay with me forever." Kallie willed a tear to not roll down her cheek, but failed. JJ helped Kallie up from the shower floor, and turned the water back on, letting the soap soak away.

"I won't lie. You and I both know that this... psychological pain that you have... may take months, possibly _years_ before you can get better. But that's what we're all here for." As Kallie turned around, JJ took her hand and kissed her knuckle. "I've had this on my mind for quite some time now, but... this is all up to you, honey." Kallie furrowed her brow.

"What is it?"

"I wanna have a mother-daughter day — just the two of us. We could make it a weekly thing, maybe every Saturday. We could take turns picking where we wanna go. As it turns out... I happen to have tickets to a film we could see. Mama Em is gonna be busy doing some shopping, so, don't tell her, but I'm wasting her ticket on you." She playfully winked, as a light laughed graced Kallie's lips.

"I'd like that."


	33. Lacey Simmons

Weeks turned to months. Day by day, Kaelyn was showing less and less fear around men she didn't know, which made her more comfortable around the men in the FBI. She was branching out, expanding her horizons, trying new things. Aside from writing, singing and baking, she had later taken a huge step and asked JJ to teach her how to fight. Since she was still hesitant about guns, she figured she wouldn't want to pick one up again for a while. JJ reiterated to her daughter that what she was teaching her was for _self-defense purposes only_. Kallie wasn't one for violence anyway.

 **~ Godly Girls Support Group ~**

It had been too long since Kallie was last in group, so she caught up with Allison, Melina and Dylan as much as possible the second that she returned to Godly Girls.

"So, you think you're fine enough to keep up?" Allison asked, as the four friends gathered up.

"Depends. What did I miss?" Dylan looked over Kallie's shoulder, to see a girl walking in.

"Well, aside from getting a new girl, not very much." Kallie looked behind her towards the entrance and observed the girl that caught her four friends' eyes.

"That's her?" Melina snapped her fingers in concentration.

"Remind me of her name again, Dyl."

"Lacey Simmons."

"She showed up about three weeks after Linda gave us the news about you being hospitalized," Allison added. Kallie stared at Lacey. She had hazel eyes, and looked to be about 5"3. She had the same hair color and eyes as Kallie, nice figure. Lacey glanced over at Kallie. Kallie smiled, but Lacey didn't reciprocate. She just gave her a blank stare and walked off over to Linda.

"What's her story?" Kallie asked.

"That's the thing — she's held off on telling her story, so no one knows." Kallie looked back at her friends.

"Seriously?" She saw Lacey as she sat down, away from everyone.

"Yeah, she's pretty much a loner, from what I can tell," Dylan answered.

 _Is this girl someone I need to worry about? I can't put my finger on it, but something just feels... off about her._ Kallie tried to shake off the thought. _No, Kaelyn! Until you know this girl's story, you can't assume things just because she basically ignored you. I mean... maybe she's just not up to making friends right now, still being a fresh member of the group._

 **~ One Hour Later ~**

"Okay, ladies. As many of you know, we've had the joy of welcoming Kallie back into the group..." Scattered applause and smiles were directed to Kallie, as she blushed. "But today, we're also finally going to get to hear Lacey's story." Kallie's eyes glanced to Lacey, as she stood up from her chair. "Lacey, if you please."

"Thanks, Linda." She shifted awkwardly before pursing her lips. "Hey, everybody. My name's Lacey. Some of you may already know me, but most of you don't know my story." She fidgeted with her hands. "See, the reason why I haven't told my story up till now is because... it's kinda... disturbing. I have social anxiety, which basically means... I'm not the best at keeping my friends close. I've lost many because of it, and I was a little hesitant to become a member of this group." She gave a sigh, and shrugged her shoulders. "But, uh, here's hoping that'll change." Kallie listened intently at the girl's story. "I was... what I like to call a 'one-night-stand baby'. My parents had sex, had me, and once my Dad got the results of the paternity test, he just... up and left. Left my Mom all alone to take care of me, and I... I haven't heard of him to this day." Lacey was getting choked up, as she could feel the lump forming in her throat. "I spent most of my time in the basement of the house, looking through _anything_ that would give me a clue about my father. My birth certificate, however, has been... my mother _burned_ it, because she didn't want any reminder of my father in the house." A tear streamed down her cheek. "So, I don't even know the old man's name. In fact, any trace of his name had just... disappeared from the house. I knew that just an old photo wasn't enough to find him, since he's _obviously_ changed, so I eventually gave up looking for him. I _do_ carry a photo of him with me, though — haven't lost it. It was the first thing that I took when I decided to move out. Once I turned eighteen, I told my mother that I wanted to have a life of my own. She respected that, bought me an apartment, and I was out the door. I'm twenty-one now, so I've been stable for the last three years, until..." She fidgeted with her hands again, shifting. "About a year after I moved out, I heard from an old neighbor that... my mother had committed suicide." She let a bitter laugh leave her lips. "Hung herself, to be exact." She bit her lip to keep it from quivering. "I guess, the burden of having a kid that she... basically didn't want, had... taken a bit of toll on her. So, she decided to kill herself the minute that she knew I wouldn't be able to see." Another bitter laugh left her lips. "She must have known I'd try to stop her. That's why she took that chance. So, for the last two and half years, I've been grieving. Grieving a mother that didn't want me, and grieving a father that I don't even know." She gave a shrug. "And, now, I'm here today, at Godly Girls, hoping to find a reason to stay." With her story finished, she gave a sad smile over to Linda.

"Thank you for sharing, Lacey."

"It's my pleasure." Her voice broke. "Uhm... can I be excused?"

"Of course." Linda looked at her watch as Lacey paced out of the room. "Well, girls, it seems our time is up, so, thanks for being here, and I'll see you all next week. God bless."

Kallie's eyes followed Lacey as she quickly left the room. She stared back at her.

"Hey, Alli, Dyl, Mel... you guys go outside without me. Just... text me once my Mom's here, okay?"

"You sure, PJ?" Kallie kept her eyes toward the door.

"Yeah, I-I just... I just wanna ask Lacey a few questions."

 **~ Restroom ~**

Kallie entered the bathroom to hear weeping from one of the stalls. She stayed quiet before seeing Lacey exit the stall, wiping her tear-stained cheeks. Kallie lent a smile.

"Lacey, was it?"

"Uh... yeah," she sniffed, turning on the faucet.

"I'm sorry about your parents. That..." Kallie laughed. "In a way, I know what that feels like. My parents died in a car crash right after my younger sister was born." Lacey began washing the tears away from her face. After grabbing paper towels to wipe it off, she heaved a sigh. "But, that's not even the half of it." Kallie's phone went off with a text from JJ.

 _"I'm here, angel. You coming?"_

She glanced from her phone to Lacey, and smiled.

"Listen, my ride's here, but, why don't I tell you the rest of my story over some lunch? How's Saturday sound?" Kallie offered her phone for an exchange with Lacey's. Lacey laughed.

"Uh... sure. Yeah, that sounds good." After exchanging phone numbers, Kallie turned towards the door. "Wait!" Lacey said quickly. "I didn't get your name." Kallie turned back around with a smile.

"It's Kaelyn, but I go by Kallie." Lacey lent a soft smile.

"Nice to meet you, Kallie."

"Same here, Lacey. I'll see you Saturday, then?"

"... Yeah."


	34. Suspicions

"Kallie, are you ready yet?"

It was Saturday. It was _supposed_ to be mother-daughter day for JJ and Kallie, but...

"Sorry, Mom! I actually made plans with a new friend that I met in group," Kallie hurriedly explained.

"Really?" JJ inquired, leaning against Kallie's bedroom doorway. "What's this new friend's name?"

"Lacey Simmons. She told her story, and I just thought that I'd get to know everything about her _besides_ her... horrific past." She placed a kiss on JJ's cheek before pacing right by her mother, and down the hallway. "I'll tell all about it after!" JJ smiled softly. "Maybe we could still have a mother-daughter thing. How's tonight?"

"Mmm... I'll try and see if there's anything we can still do," JJ replied.

"Thanks, Mom, you're the best!" Just as she was about to open the front door, JJ stopped her.

"Are you sure I can't at least... drop you off? Where are you meeting Lacey?" Kallie turned back around.

"We're meeting up at the café on Langston, and I know where it is!" she groaned. "I'll see you later, love you!" Before JJ could return a "goodbye", her daughter was out the door.

 **~ Café on Langston Street ~**

Kallie walked into the café, the bells ringing once she opened the door. She veered around the place, and smiled once she saw Lacey looking at her phone.

"Hey, Lacey!" she called. Lacey set her phone down on the table as Kallie came over. "Were you waiting long?" she asked, setting her bag down.

"Nah, I just got here about five minutes ago."

"Cool."

After about an hour and half of getting to know each other better, Lacey became... somewhat interested in Kallie.

"So, is this the part where you tell me your story?" she inquired, leaning in closer to Kallie. "I mean, I heard about what happened. You were... in the hospital? How come?"

"Uhh... it's a little-"

"C'mon!" Lacey pressed. "I'm sure it's not anything different from what I hear from the other girls in group, right?"

"... Depends what you hear, really," Kallie chuckled, as she began fidgeting with her hands, her nervous habit kicking in. She took a deep breath and looked Lacey in the eye. "Where do you want me to start? Do you just wanna know why I was hospitalized?"

"If that's as much as you can tell me, then I won't push," Lacey said sincerely. "I'm all ears."

Kallie recounted everything that had happened before she had returned from group to her friend. This time, without shedding a single tear. She had somehow just found it to be routine that she would tell her story to other people. She had been more open about it, which showed that she was slowly getting past everything. Especially since she ended her nightmare's life.

"His name was Nathan Wright," Kallie concluded. "I never thought that I'd have to pick up a gun, _ever_ in my life, but... it was a life or death situation; a last resort." Lacey nodded, understanding.

"Well, as long as you were able to protect your Mom. That's awesome that you have two Moms in FBI, but it's gotta be pretty scary." Kallie laughed.

"You don't know the half of it..." Just then, her phone rang. _**Mom**_ **.** She stood up. "Sorry, gotta take this." She answered, and walked off. "Mom, what's up?"

 _"Hey, angel. I was looking at some films we could see tonight, and I can't decide. When are you coming home?"_

"Uh..." She looked at her phone, checking the time. _4:45PM._ "Whoa, time's flying by, uhm... I guess I can head home now, just so I won't be walking once it's dark."

 _"Good call, princess. How's everything with Lacey?"_

"Everything's totally fine!" Kallie said, looking back over at Lacey, who waved at her with a smile as she reciprocated. "She's really sweet. I think we're gonna get along great."

 _"That's fantastic, baby girl. I'll see you here at home, then?"_

"Yep. Love you, Mom."

 _"Love you more."_

With that, the pair hung up. Kallie set her phone back in her pocket, heading back over to Lacey.

"Hey, girl. Sorry, but I promised my Mom that we'd hang out tonight, so I gotta get home before dark."

"Oh, go on ahead, Kallie, it's no problem." Lacey said, waving it off. She stopped herself, and gave a smile. "Actually, would you mind if I came along?" Kallie furrowed her brow. "I'd actually love to meet your FBI Moms," she added with a wink.

"Uhh... heh, sure, why not?"

"Awesome."

 **~ At the Apartment Complex ~**

"Okay, you ready?" Lacey wrung her hands together nervously.

"I-Is it too late to say 'no'?" she whispered.

"Oh, stop it already. They'll love you!"

"... Okay." Kallie turned the knob and opened the door.

"Hey, I'm home, and I brought a friend!" At the sound of her voice, Henry ran over to his big sister, hugging her legs. "Heh, hey, Henry!"

"I missed you, Kallie!" he squealed. The two girls laughed, as Kallie picked up her toddler brother.

"I missed you, too, little man," she replied, pecking his cheek. Kenzie, Emily and JJ all gathered into the living room. "Mom, Mama Em, Kenzie, Henry... this is my new friend from group, Lacey Simmons." Lacey lent a smile to the Prentiss-Jareau family.

"It's great to meet all of you. Kallie's told me some awesome things about you."

"Has she, now?" Emily teased.

"Maybe just a little," Kallie said sheepishly.

 **~ That Night (Movie Theatre) ~**

JJ and Kallie found their seats in the theatre, snacks in tow.

"You know, I'm really glad you're making more and more friends in group, sweetheart," JJ commented as her daughter lent a smile. "Emily is, too. We're really proud of how far you've gone - all of us." Kallie nodded, looking back on the last eleven months. She... _they_ certainly had been through one hell of a trial.

"That's only because I had all of you there with me." JJ placed a kiss on her daughter's temple, and turned her attention to the screen. "Hey... Mom."

"Yeah?"

"Would it be too much to ask if you could... get Aunt Penny to do some... digging on Lacey?" JJ turned her attention back to Kallie.

"But, angel, you said-"

"I know what I said, but... there was just... something about the way that she was so eager to meet you both. In fact, she almost seemed... _too_ eager," Kallie observed. "When I first told Melina about you guys, she didn't jump at the gun to meet you two, not like Lacey did." JJ gave her an incredulous look.

"A lot of friends are different, sweetheart. Maybe Lacey is just one of those different friends."

"Yeah, too different." Kallie bit her lip in concentration.

 _Why does she suddenly look so focused? Just what is it about Lacey that's so off? Hah... well, I suppose it can't hurt to ask Penelope, but... it shouldn't be anything serious. Right?_


	35. Cover-Up

JJ was finishing up getting some snacks for her kids (along with some Cheetos for herself), when her phone rang on her way to her car. She looked at the caller ID. _**Penelope Garcia**_ _._

"Hey, Penelope. What's up?" JJ answered, unlocking her car, and putting the key in the ignition. She put her phone on 'speaker' as she drove.

 _"Did that digging like your little girl asked, Jayje, and... well, nothing seems out of the ordinary about this 'Lacey Simmons'. Her father didn't show up to meet her once she was born, and there is, indeed, no record of his name, no sign of the birth certificate."_ JJ heaved a sigh.

"Damn. Well, thanks for trying, Penelope."

 _"Anything for you, Jayje. I'll_ keep _trying, because, remember... there isn't any dirt that I can't find on someone."_ The two blondes laughed through the line.

"Hit me back when you have something."

 _"Will do."_

JJ ran a hand through her hair tiredly. _Ran a dead-end, huh? Well, I'm sure Kaelyn must be jumping to conclusions._

She arrived back at the apartment complex within minutes, groceries in tow. She unlocked the front door, and set her keys down on the couch.

"Hey, everybody! Got some snacks for you guys!" She smiled as she heard laughing coming from her girls' room, as well as Henry squealing. She set the groceries down in the kitchen. She walked over to the girls' bedroom to see Kallie tickling Henry, and Kenzie laughing along. "Looks like you guys are having fun."

"Mommy!" Henry exclaimed, getting up of the floor, and jumping into JJ's arms.

"Hey, little man! I bought some snacks for you guys, they're in the kitchen."

"Yay!"

"Awesome, thanks!" Kenzie added, going into the kitchen, Henry wiggling out of JJ's arms and following along. JJ stopped Kaelyn and shut her bedroom door, so they could talk.

"Sorry to disappoint, Kal, but... Aunt Penny couldn't find much on Lacey at the moment," the blonde mother confessed.

"Seriously?"

"She's bound to find _something_ , just... not right this second." As if on cue, both JJ's and Kallie's cell phones rang. JJ stepped out, and answered her phone, while Kallie did the same. "Garcia, what's up?"

"Hey, Lacey, what's goin' on?"

 _"Hey, Kallie! I was wondering if you wanted to hang out again, maybe at a more fancy place?"_

 **~ JJ ~**

 _"Okay, Jayje. I'm gonna need you to narrow my search down, make it easier for you and your baby girl."_

"Okay, well... Kallie told me Lacey's mother had committed suicide, so suspicious death for mother, and... try looking at birth records that date back to around the time that Lacey was born. She's twenty-one now, so..."

 _"Okay..."_

"Also look at any paternity tests taken around the same time, maybe the test would have the father's name on it — it's bound to."

 _"Alright, anything more?"_

"Umm..." A light bulb went off in JJ's head. "Lacey's mother might have changed her last name before she got together with the father back to her maiden name, Simmons, so we just need the father's last name. That's about all I can think of for you to narrow it down."

 _"Got all that, and searching... searching... Oh, my God."_

"What?"

 _"Lacey's mother didn't commit suicide, Jayje; she was murdered!"_

JJ nearly dropped her phone at that statement. She stared at Kallie's bedroom door.

"A-Are you sure?"

 _"I-I've never been more sure, Jayje. And I also have the name of the father."_

 **~ Kallie ~**

 _"So, I'm assuming you know the place, right?"_

"Uh, yeah... Henry and Glenn's Grill and Bar, right?"

 _"I'm twenty-one, so I can vouch for your drinks, if that's okay?"_

"Uhh... thanks, but I don't think my Moms would be very appreciative of me coming home drunk, so I'll pass on the drinks," Kallie chuckled.

 _"Aww, that's a shame."_

"As long as you're paying for the more pricey stuff on the menu, then I'm all for it," Kallie joked, as Lacey laughed on the other line. "I'm not exactly saving up at the moment."

 _"Alright, alright, it's my treat, then. How's that?"_ JJ opened the door, quietly letting herself back into the room. She had a grim expression.

"Haha, okay, sounds great! I'll see you, then." Kallie and Lacey both hung up, and Kallie's attention was immediately on her mother. "... Mom? What did—"

"Kallie... sweetheart... I don't think you're gonna like what I'm about to say, so... you should sit down."

 **~ Lacey ~**

She looked around her bedroom, filled with newspaper clippings of cases that the BAU solved, including the latest case. She has photos of Kallie and JJ piled around her desk. Also scattered on her desk were sheets of paper with every bit of information on "The Replicator," the UnSub that stalked the BAU. She learned how she would go about stalking them, especially Kaelyn. Being the adopted daughter of two FBI Agents, she was bound to have learned a few things about profiling.

Kaelyn would put all her studying to the test. Everything that she would learn from her BAU family, she would test out on Lacey at that restaurant.

But, Lacey had a trick up her sleeve. She had a trump card. One that would change Kaelyn's view of her entirely.

She would get the necessary revenge that her father so desperately would have wanted, even if it cost a few people their lives.


	36. End Game

Kaelyn was in her best dress and shoes, graced with some of JJ's jewels. She took a taxi to the restaurant.

 _ **~ Two Hours Ago ~**_

 _"Okay, Kallie, so... are you sure you're up for this?" JJ pressed, setting up a mic under the top of her dress._

 _"Too late to turn back now," Kallie complied. She was about to go undercover to figure out everything about Lacey Simmons._

 _"Kenzie, you and Henry are gonna be with Aunt Penelope at the office, okay?" Emily instructed._

 _"O-Okay..." Kenzie whispered._

 _"At this point, our family is to be under protective custody," JJ pressed. "We don't know how or when Lacey will hit us. You'll both be safe with Aunt Penny."_

Kallie walked into the restaurant, adjusting the top of her dress. She walked up to the hostess.

"Hi. Table for two for Kaelyn?"

"Right this way."

As the hostess led Kallie to her table, the teen could feel her hands getting more and more clammy with each step she took. She took a deep breath.

 _Kaelyn... remember what your Moms taught you. Getting into people's heads is what profilers are about. You need to show Mom and Mama Em that you are perfectly capable of taking in everything that they handle on a daily basis. You can do this, Kallie. You can do this._

Just as she sat down, she saw Lacey coming her way. She stood back up.

"Lacey! Hey!"

"Hi!" Lacey laughed, hugging Kallie before sitting down. "Did you have any trouble getting here?"

"Oh, no, not at all," Kallie replied, waving it off. "I took a taxi, so..." Lacey lent a smile. "But, I'm glad you picked this place," she added, looking around the restaurant.

"Well, like I said, it's my treat, so order anything you want," Lacey insisted with a wink.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, definitely!"

 **~ Hotch ~**

"Just hacked in, sir."

Penelope, Kenzie and Hotch were all keeping an eye on Kallie. Henry was asleep in JJ's office.

"Mackenzie, you shouldn't be in here. At least stay with Henry," Hotch insisted.

"Until anything happens to my sister, I'm staying here," the young girl pushed. He couldn't let her see if anything did happen to Kaelyn, he couldn't risk traumatizing Kenzie. But... he would probably be just as stubborn if it were his brother in this situation. So, he said nothing and let her stay.

"Everybody, sound off."

 **~ From the Restaurant ~**

JJ was sitting at the bar, with Emily across from her. The blonde agent peeked over to her left.

"If she sticks to the Replicator's M.O., there's really no telling what she'll do to her," she said quietly.

"Which is exactly why we're not gonna let it get anywhere," Emily pressed.

 _"Morgan, are you set?"_

"Yep, it's all clear so far, Hotch. Lacey hasn't pulled anything yet."

 _"No reason to let your guard down, guys."_

"It doesn't look like she's pulling any strings," Spencer added.

 _"It's too early to tell, just keep your eyes on Kallie, everybody. Are we clear?"_

"Yeah," the team responded.

 **~ Kallie ~**

Lacey leaned in. "So... I hope you won't mind if I ask about something a little more... serious." Kallie tensed at her expression, but kept her ground.

"Depends what it is." Lacey flashed a mischievous smile.

"You told me before that your uncle had escaped from prison and kidnapped you and your Mom," she recalled.

"... Yeah." Kallie's expression turned grim.

"Why was he in prison to begin with? What was he convicted of?" Kallie tapped her fingertips on the table, one of her nervous ticks kicking in.

"Uhm..." She licked her lips. "S-Statutory rape. That had happened ten years ago, and... for the second time, when he kidnapped me." Her throat closed. "Both times... I was helpless."

 **~ JJ ~**

 _"Don't get absorbed, JJ. Focus,"_ Hotch quickly instructed before the blonde could shed a tear. She cleared her throat.

"Understood."

 _"That's exactly what Lacey wants is for us to let our guard down. She_ did _learn from the Replicator, after all. Don't underestimate her."_

"Copy that," Emily replied.

 **~ Kallie ~**

Lacey let out a sigh of disbelief.

"Wow, t-that's... I can't imagine..."

"Yeah." Kallie licked her lips again. "I'm, uh... I'm pretty sure you can't."

"But, then again..." Lacey's expression turned grim. "I'd be lying." Kallie froze.

"L-Lacey, what—" Lacey let a bitter laugh leave her lips.

"Man, it sure is chilling for me to hear about all of that a second time. I read the papers, I saw the news." A sly smile curved her lips. "I already know everything there is to know about the renowned Behavioral Analysis Unit. But, then again, we've both done our homework, haven't we?" Kallie frowned, as Lacey pulled out a set of photos, and slewed them out onto the table. "I've been watching you all for quite a bit." Kallie swallowed hard. She peered at all the photos. Each of them showed her with a member of the BAU, as well as with her sister, some with Henry, and some with her other friends from group.

"Y-You've been... spying on us?" Lacey's fingertips scraped across a photo of Kallie, JJ and Emily.

"Well, I had to know more about the team responsible for killing my _father_ ," she seethed. The next thing she heard was the cock of a gun from underneath the table.

 _"Kallie, stand your ground. Stay calm."_

"Surprise, surprise." Lacey let her lips curve into a sarcastic smile. "I'm your cousin, Kaelyn. Lacey _Wright_. Your Dad was my Dad's brother."

"I'm assuming 'Simmons' was your Mom's last name, then?"

"That's right."

"Then, let me ask _you_ a more serious question." She held her breath for a second before continuing. "Why did you kill your mother?"

 **~ Kenzie ~**

The younger girl couldn't believe what she was hearing. This girl... was their cousin? This girl... was threatening to _kill_ her sister? She could feel her stomach churning. At this point, she herself, felt helpless, not being in that restaurant beside her sister. But, she knew that if she was able to overcome Nathan... she could overcome Lacey.

 _I'm scared out of my mind for you, sissy. I'm getting sick to my stomach just watching this, but... I trust you. I know you can do this. Sisters together... always and forever. Please... I hope you're keeping that in mind. I'm there with you. I'm right beside you. I won't let her hurt you._

 **~ Kallie ~**

"Isn't it obvious?" Lacey hissed. "That... _wench_ bothered to carry me to term, bothered to go through all the labor pains, mood swings, _everything_... only to just... toss me aside the minute I exit her womb." She licked her lips. "You know, she didn't even _hold me_ once I came out?"

"Who told you all of this?"

"She did," Lacey confirmed. "Just moments before I put the bullet through her head." Kallie licked her lips.

"What do you want from me?"

"I want you to call of all of the cops and FBI Agents that are inside and outside of this building."

"And if I refuse?" Kallie challenged.

"Oh, I think you already know the answer to that." The teen across from her swallowed hard, her throat closing up more and more with every second that passed.

"If all you were gonna do was kill me, then why bother doing it here?"

"I wanted to make a meal of it. It's what my Dad would've done, right?" Kallie's breath hitched. "I saw the video that he filmed of you." Her eyes widened.

"How did you—?"

"I'm _family_ of the deceased. All I had to do was ask." Lacey let a laugh grace her lips. "I'll admit, what he did to you was brutal, but... _beautiful_ all at the same time." Kallie clenched her fists. "Classic sadism, am I right?" The teen's blood boiled. "So, now that I know I've gotten you worked up, you mind telling those two gentlemen a few tables behind us to... disappear?" she smirked as Kallie looked over Lacey's shoulder to see Derek and Spencer.

 _"Morgan, Reid, stand down,"_ Hotch ordered. Derek and Spencer sighed knowingly, glancing over to the two girls, before standing up from their table, and exiting.

"Thanks for playing, gentlemen!" Lacey called out, playfully waving at them. Kallie felt her stomach drop as she began to get nervous. Lacey turned her attention to the photos on the table. "Let's see..." She counted out each Agent in each of the photos. "One, two, three... four... five... _six_ main Agents in the BAU, right?"

"... Yeah."

"So, that means, one or two Agents should be watching this... and... _three_ Agents should be keeping an eye on us from here." Kallie furrowed her brow. "Well, minus the two that I just flushed out, so that makes... _one_." Her expression didn't change. "Well, it's clear as day that if... Agent _Jareau_ couldn't help you when my Daddy did his job — according to what I saw in the tape — what makes you think she'll come save you now?" Kallie let a smirk curve her lips.

"You know what I've summed up to this point, Lacey?"

"What's that?" Kallie prepared her foot under the table.

"It's that you may have a trick or two up your sleeve... but, then again... so do I."

Kallie kicked Lacey from underneath the table, causing the gun to slip out of her hands only for a second, before the two stood up from the table, each struggling to get a hold of the weapon. This caused JJ and Emily to stand up from the bar, guns at the ready. The two teens wrestled on the ground, rolling on top of each other, before Lacey had Kallie in a chokehold, her forearm wrapped around her neck. She stood up, bringing Kallie up with her, finally getting a hold of the gun, pointing it to Kallie's temple. She chuckled at the sight of the two women before her.

"Haha, well, I guess I was wrong about you, Agent Jareau. You're not as weak as my Daddy made out to be."

"Lacey, you don't wanna do this," Emily soothed.

"And what makes you so sure I won't, Agents?" Kallie's breath hitched at the sound of the gun cocking again.

"Age or not, Lacey, there is _no_ statute of limitations on murder, so you _really_ need to think about your options right now," JJ pressed, looking Lacey straight in the eye. "Either way, killing Kaelyn won't bring your father back. It's either you kill Kaelyn, and accomplish _nothing_... or you come quietly, do your time, and accomplish _something_." Lacey swallowed hard. "Now, whatever that 'something' is is entirely up to you, sweetie." A tear streamed down Lacey's cheek.

"I think I know what that 'something' is."

She quickly pushed Kaelyn out of the way. Kaelyn buried her face in JJ's chest as a gunshot went off. Kallie looked up from JJ's chest to see a pool of blood seeping right next to Lacey's temple. Kallie embraced JJ, as the two Agents dropped their guns, and hugged their daughter tightly, falling to the their knees.

Derek and Spencer ran inside at the gunshot, and displayed stoic expressions at the sight before them. The two men looked at each other, then back at their fellow female Agents. The three women stood up with their daughter. JJ quickly went over to her scrawny friend.

"Spence," she whispered, as she embraced him, Spencer mirroring her action, tightening his hold on her.

"Derek," Emily whimpered, as Derek wrapped his arms around his partner.

The two men each placed light kisses in their partners' hair, ensuring their safety. JJ looked over to her daughter, the teen still shook up, and pulled her over with the four of them, locking them in a warm, familial embrace. As she took in every little thing, one thing was clear.

Her nightmare was officially over. Kaelyn and her sister could _finally_ live in peace.


End file.
